FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE
When rookie prosecutor Jessica Hughes crosses the son of a major crime boss, sheâs determined to bring him to justiceâif his family doesnât kill her first. And with newly minted FBI special agent Zach Taylor protecting her, she believes she can succeed. Zach will do anything to stay ahead of the crime syndicate and guard Jessica while she builds her case. The more time he spends with her, the more personal the assignment becomes. Itâs bad timing for falling in love, but as the threats against her life escalate, Zach realizes Jessica is everything to himâand he will do everything he can to make sure she has a future.
Her breath caught, and she winced slightly as he reached out and grabbed onto her hand. She wasnât expecting the contact.
âIâm sorry,â he said as he let go of her hand.
âNo, itâs not you. I appreciate you being here.â What was she supposed to say? That she didnât like anyone touching her because she was skittish from her violent past? And now she was understandably on edge?
âI was just petrified that you werenât going to make it, Jessica. I prayed that God would intervene. It was a direct one-two punch between the Escalade behind us and the other truck that slammed into your side of the car.â His eyes showed his deep concern, and he leaned closer to her. âI didnât want to fail you.â
âYou didnât fail. You did what you could.â
âThe FBI is working on a safe house. Itâs not safe to try to stay at your place. Not after this. I was wrong and I underestimated the threat against you. A true rookie mistake. But I wonât let it happen again. I can promise you that.â
ONE
Guilty... Thatâs the word Jessica Hughes longed to hear after each case she argued before the jury. For now, she walked out of the Miami prosecutorâs office after another long day. Although she had graduated from the University of Florida law school only nine months ago, she had a clear goal in life. Prosecute criminals and seek justice for innocent victims. And sheâd known that was what she was signing up for when she had applied to work in the Florida state attorneyâs office. Or at least sheâd thought she had a good idea of what was in store for her.
As she walked to her car in the Miami summer heat, she realized just how late it was. The sun had probably gone down an hour ago. She dug into her small pink purse, trying to locate her car keys before she got to her old black Chevy compact.
She had parked in the flat lot a few blocks away and now started walking more quickly as she was suddenly eager to get home. Even if the only things waiting for her were her orange tabby cat, Tiger, and a microwavable meal. As she approached the parking lot, she heard loud footsteps come up behind her.
Instinctively, she gripped her purse and picked up the pace. But the heavy steps hitting the pavement behind her only sped up and got closer. With each long step Jessica tried to take, the person followed her stride for stride and was gaining ground.
She was now on the edge of the parking lot, but her car was located in the middle. Fear gripped her body even as she kept moving. Sheâd grown up under rough circumstances. Bounced from foster home to foster home. Sheâd been forced to learn how to defend herself, but it wasnât something she liked doing or wanted to do right now. She wasnât a fighterâexcept by necessity. In fact, sheâd freely give up her wallet and the five dollars she had in it.
She hadnât heard the person behind her come closer, but the next thing she knew, strong hands grabbed on to her shoulders and pushed her hard into the side of the nearest car, a large white SUV. Turning to look at her attacker, Jessica discovered he wore a dark mask.
Immediately she started to struggle against him. He was much stronger and well over six feet tall, but she refused to just sit back and let herself be accosted. Maybe if she put up enough of a fight, he would give up. Why is he coming after me? Was this related to a case? Dear Lord, please give me strength to protect myself. She fought off violent flashbacks from the past and tried to focus on the present.
Taking advantage of her heels, Jessica lifted up her right foot and slammed it down onto the assailantâs foot as hard as she could. He howled in pain but didnât fully loosen his grip.