Payback

FIGHTING TO SURVIVE

Nia Sharpe never expected to get caught in the crosshairs of a drug war. But with the return of her criminal brother, her life is suddenly on the line. Thankfully, her handsome boss, Aiden McBride, is there when she needs him most. Nia knows Aiden is still reeling from his past, so when the war vet steps in to keep her safe, Nia is touched by his heroic actions. Now staying ahead of the bad guys is their best chance of surviving. But watching Aiden fight for her—for them—gives her hope that they could share more than just this deadly situation. Perhaps they could share a future…

Echo Mountain: Saving lives and finding love in the mountains of Washington State

An ear-piercing cry made Aiden freeze.

He scanned the surrounding area.

A flash of pink punctuated the peaceful scene as it floated down the mountainside almost in slow motion. He’d recognize that bright pink anywhere.

“Nia?” he whispered and whipped out his binoculars to get a better look.

It was, in fact, Nia sliding down the mountainside.

He shoved the binoculars into his pack, strapped it across his shoulders and took off, strategizing the quickest way to get to her.

Why was she up here, anyway? Had something happened at the resort and she couldn’t reach him by phone? He’d turned it off hoping for true solitude, thinking God could better hear his prayers if Aiden weren’t distracted, because lately he’d felt abandoned by the Lord.

Forget about that and get to Nia.

An eternal optimist, HOPE WHITE was born and raised in the Midwest. She and her college sweetheart have been married for thirty years and are blessed with two wonderful sons, two feisty cats and a bossy border collie. When not dreaming up inspirational tales, Hope enjoys hiking, sipping tea with friends and going to the movies. She loves to hear from readers, who can contact her at [email protected].

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

—John 15:13

This book is dedicated to my wonderful Washington Family, the Metters, Morins & Manns.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Epigraph

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

ONE

She had to protect him.

Shivering against a strong gust of wind, Nia Sharpe quickened her pace up the mountain trail, determined to find her boss, resort manager Aiden McBride, by nightfall. She knew he was planning a midweek overnight hike to Pleasant Point and she needed to warn him.

Something didn’t feel right about the two men, calling themselves Mark and Greg, who came looking for Aiden, men who claimed to be business associates. After they’d checked in, she had the resort’s IT tech, Zack Carter, dig into their backgrounds, but he came up empty. It was as though the two men didn’t exist.

As concierge for Echo Mountain Resort, it wasn’t just Nia’s job to help guests. She also prided herself on keeping Aiden’s life as calm as possible.

When she’d learned that the mystery men rented hiking gear from the recreation office, her instincts went on full alert.

Always trust your instincts. A hard but valuable lesson she’d learned in childhood. One that she put to good use to protect her boss.

Fearing Mark and Greg had discovered Aiden’s hiking plans by talking to resort staff, she took off at lunchtime to beat them to Pleasant Point.

She’d repeatedly called Aiden over the course of the past few hours, but he didn’t answer. Reception was spotty in the mountains, so that was no surprise. A shudder trickled down her spine. Had the men already found Aiden?

Maybe she was overreacting, a force of habit from surviving an abusive household growing up. She also tended to overthink things where Aiden was concerned because she knew about the emotional trauma that had followed him home from the war. She seemed to be the only one.

“Miss Sharpe?”

She whipped around and spotted the two strangers heading up the trail. Had they followed her? Frustration ripped through her insides. If that was the case, she was leading them straight to Aiden.

Play it cool, Nia.

“What a coincidence finding you up here,” the man calling himself Greg said. The obvious leader, he was tall and thin with a narrow face.

“Yes, indeed,” Nia said as calmly as possible.

The men hesitated, as if they didn’t want to scare her away.

“As long as we’ve run into you, could we ask you a few questions—” Greg hesitated “—about your boss?”

Mark, a husky, intense-looking man, watched her with assessing eyes.

“How about tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.?” she answered in the pleasant tone she used with guests. “I came out here for some peace and quiet. I’m sure you understand.”

“How well do you know Aiden McBride?” Greg said, ignoring her request.

“As well as an employee knows her boss. Why?” She dug into her pocket for something she could use as a weapon. Her fingers wrapped around a cough drop. Great.