Description:Faking her death was easy, living with her past is harder, but nothing is more dangerous than falling in love…
Sandra Walsh was a deadly sniper for the Sweet Briar Group, a covert agency with assassins for hire, until her last mission went horribly wrong, accidentally killing an innocent girl. Knowing she’s a danger to her team, Sandra goes off the grid, becoming a Shade—an agent declared dead but secretly hiding among the living. She intends to honor her vow never to pull another trigger or have contact with the spy world again. Until she meets Casper Grady…
Grady is a former Marine with a troubled past and a debt to pay. His life mission has gone from protecting the nation to helping local children and their families. The moment he meets Sandra, he knows there’s more to her than meets the eye, but he can’t help but be drawn to the mysterious femme fatale. And when Sandra’s past suddenly catches up to her, Grady is determined to protect her at all costs, no matter how dark and dangerous her secrets are.
As the danger increases, so does their intense attraction. But when they’re forced to choose between each other and the people they’ve sworn to protect, their growing love might not be enough to keep them together—or alive…
EXCERPT
Exchange of Fire’s gone
through quite a few changes since I typed the first draft. Some of them major.
This scene was one of the first ones to be changed. As I wrote it, the
storyline started shifting to be more about Cappy and his wound then about an
assassin coming after Wraith by invading Grady’s home. Not good and too much
time was being wasted trying to bring it back on track. As I brainstormed, I
realized this scene could be so much more suspenseful and really dive into both
Grady and Wraith’s personal storylines if I didn’t include Cappy and shifted
Mars outside, trying to pick them off. Ultimately, this one scene developed
into multiple chapters of high action and personal suspense (Chapters 39-41 to
be exact). Hope you enjoy a peek at an
earlier version!
Exclusive Deleted Scene:
Grady crouched and squeezed off two shots down
the hall to give Cappy a chance to find cover. Suddenly, the C.O. gripped his
left side, toppled over, and pull himself behind the couch, leaving behind a
grisly trail of blood.
Shit!
Grady whipped his head over to make sure
Sandra was still with him. She wasn’t. Sonofabitch.
He peered around the edge of the fireplace acting as a patrician between the
living and dining rooms, and his heart stopped. She crept along the perimeter
of the room, ducking behind chairs toward Cappy. Her whole body was silhouetted
by the light coming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows that comprised the
back wall of the living room. She was a Goddamn moving target.
Grady brought his gun up and stepped from
behind the fireplace. He ran to the corner of the hallway, placing his shoulder
blades flat against the drywall. Where had that bastard gone? His former
military training roared through his veins as he assessed his house’s layout.
One of the most dangerous, yet rewarding, directives he’d experienced when he
was a Marine was being a part of a unit that kicked down doors and cleared
insurgents out in Baghdad. Except then, he had about seven other guys and
snipers on the roofs as they leap-frogged through rooms taking out bad
guys.
He now had a team of two. Himself and Sandra.
But he knew the terrain since it was his Goddamn house acting as a warzone.
When Mars dove down the hall, he had to choose between three bedrooms and a
bathroom. Based on logic, the guy had probably been creeping forward, so that
meant he was most likely in the first guest bedroom.
The one Grady rested against. Shit. He rolled.
Two bullets pierced the drywall where he had
just stood and traveled until they slammed into the side of the kitchen island.
Pots and pans clattered as the bullets expended their energy.
Grady continued his momentum and rolled to his
feet, keeping low to the ground. He flicked on his throat-mic and whispered,
“Talk to me, Sandra. How’s he doing?”
“It’s bad. I’ve slowed the bleeding, but he
needs a hospital.”
Shit. Exactly what he was afraid of when he
saw the gut shot.
“He keeps saying he won’t go,” she
continued. “But we’ll see about that.”
“Did you get a hold of the others?”
“Yeah. I used Cappy’s phone and sent a text
warning them away.”
Grady breathed out. While that was great news,
it also sucked, knowing you just told back-up to grab a beer while you fought a
psycho alone.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they showed up anyway.”
His gut clenched. That was his other fear.
Talon was just bull-headed enough to come barging in even though they needed
their asset, the inside man, to stay safe.
“Roger.” He flicked his mic off and took a
step forward. A large, dark shape emerged from the bedroom, racing toward him.
Grady pulled his gun up and squeezed off a round. The shape didn’t slow. He
didn’t have time for another shot. Mars ran right into him, literally. Grady
fell on his ass in the most ungraceful position.
The assassin kept running.
“Heads up,” Grady shouted, scrambling into a shooting position. He fired at the
man’s back. The bullet pierced the guy’s coat, but Mars still didn’t slow down.
“He’s got armor on.”
Pffffft. Pffffft.
Sandra! Grady
jumped up and started running.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Grady dropped and crab-walked forward out of
Cappy’s line of fire. He placed his shoulder against a high-backed chair and
edged his gun around. With no lights or moonlight, Grady couldn’t see many
details but even he could figure out Cappy was gone when he peered behind the
couch. Only a large pool of blood now stained the oriental let him know where
he had lain.
Mars stalked toward the windows, giving Grady
the advantage of seeing the man’s outline.
Where was Sandra?
Grady pulled the trigger. Blood spurted from
the assassin’s left shoulder and the guy jerked, whirling toward him. Sandra
jumped from her spot behind the couch, her knife catching the little bit of
dull light as she thrust it forward and slashed down.
Mars cried out as his right leg buckled.
“Everyone, back off,” Sandra yelled, circling
the assassin.
Screw that. Grady
raced forward.
Mars raised his right hand, the gun just
seconds from sighting on her head. Sandra dropped onto his stomach and punched
him in the face with her silver knuckles. His head snapped to the side as a
tooth flew from his mouth. The gun paused then resumed its deadly aim.
Grady raised his arm and sighted.
“I swear to God, Grady, if you pull that
trigger,” she said as she slammed her knuckles into Mars’ face again, shredding
the skin on his cheek. “I will make your life a living hell. This bastard’s
mine.”
In one deft move, she switched the knife from
her right to her left hand and sliced the tendon on Mars’ forearm.
The assassin screamed as the silenced gun
flopped to the rug with a dull thud. He curled his bleeding arm into his chest.
Cappy pulled himself around the couch’s corner
and Sandra glanced up at the movement. Mars used that moment to slam his left
fist into her face. She jerked back, dropping off his stomach.
Sonofabitch. Grady
shot the man in the leg.
Mars screamed and twitched, but he couldn’t do
much more since Grady had aimed for the leg Sandra had already crippled.
She righted herself, holding the right side of
her head. She bucked with the man as if she were riding a bull in a rodeo. Her
knife switched back to her right hand and she sliced through the bastard’s
shirt. Mars drew back to punch her again but Cappy caught the man’s arm and
held it down.
“Go ahead,” he wheezed, using what had to be
the last of his reserves to keep Mars from hitting her again. “Finish it.”
Riiiiiipppppp. She
pulled the fabric apart and released the binding on the armor vest. Mars’ chest
rose and fell as he sucked in air.
“Let him go, Cappy. Give him a fighting chance
to stop me.”
Grady’s heart filled with something he’d be
hard pressed not to call love. He was also scared and pissed as hell at her
taking this risk, but proud of her not ending the man in cold-blood either.
Cappy held her eyes a moment then dipped his
chin. He let go and rolled to his back panting.
Mars swung at her head but she dodged back. He
regrouped and clamped onto her leg, trying to push her off as he squeezed and
flailed. She held on. He let go and wormed his hand under his body. He fumbled a moment, then whipped out a
switchblade.
“Look out,” Grady shouted, lunging forward.
Sandra sprang off his body.
The switchblade in Mars’ hand hung suspended
as his eyes bugged, staring at her face. He tried to breathe in once, but
gurgled on blood seeping out of the corner of his mouth.
Sandra’s aim had been true.
Grady slammed her body to his. She wrenched
her head to watch as Mars’ face reddened, then his body gave out. He sagged,
his head drooping to the side as he died staring at Sandra.
She slumped.
“Are you hurt?” He clutched the sides of her
head and she whimpered. “Christ. I’m sorry. I forgot he hit you. Let me see.”
She jerked her head out of hands. “Cappy
first.”
Shit. She was right. His inner caveman didn’t
give a shit about the other man though. It only knew his woman was injured and
demanded he take care of her. Pipe down,
he told it and let her go. She raced to Cappy’s side and dropped to her knees.
“Oh God,” she cried. “He’s barely breathing.”
“I’m calling 911.”
“No,” Cappy’s voice wheezed, stilling Grady’s
hand from reaching for his cellphone. “No hospital.”
“You have to go,” Sandra snapped.
“No.” Cappy shook his head. “Gunshot.” His
chest rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath. “Required.” Breath. “To
report.” Huge breath. “Police.”
“Shit. He’s right,” Grady said.
“I’ll call Talon back.” Sandra fumbled for the
phone.
The garage door opening caught Grady’s
attention. “Someone’s here.” He ran to the kitchen door and waited, his gun at
the ready to nail anyone other than the team.
The door squeaked open and Grady put the
barrel to the intruder’s temple. “Freeze, asshole.” The man stopped.
“Geez, Casper. I knew we didn’t get along, but
this is a little extreme,” Talon’s voice said dryly.
“Oh thank God,” Sandra called. “Talon, get
your ass in here.”
The prick shot him a look as he tore past,
Romeo and Magician following a step behind.
“What happened?” Talon barked as he rounded
the fireplace.
“Mars shot him.”
“Shit.”
A late twenty-something, thin man stepped
through the door. His hair standing up in the back and he seemed as if he was
frayed around the edges. His blue-checked, button down and khaki pants should
have looked nice but they were ill-fitting. Grady put his hand out, stopping
him from moving further in the kitchen.
He leaned forward and whispered, “I don’t know
you. You stay right here with me.”
“He won’t go to the hospital,” Sandra
continued to explain.
Mystery Boy’s eyes widened. “Wraith. She’s still
safe.” His shoulder sagged.
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About the author:P.A. DePaul is a multi-genre romance author including paranormal fantasy and romantic suspense. She originally hails from Carroll County and Baltimore County, Maryland, but also lived in Macon and Warner Robins, Georgia. She currently resides in a beautiful community just outside Philadelphia. Exchange of Fire is the first novel in the SBG series with the second novel, Shadow of Doubt, releasing April 2015. You can also find out more about her:
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