The Best Revenge
Something in St. John's intense blue eyes reminded Jessa hill of her childhood friend. But Adam Alden was long dead….The handsome stranger had vowed to help her defeat Adam's father in the mayoral race. Yet St. John's quest for revenge seemed too personal for a casual acquaintance. Could St. John and Adam be the same man…and would he disappear with Jessa's heart a second time?Dameron St. John returned home with a new identity and a score to settle. But he wasn't prepared for the emotions that surfaced when he reunited with Jessa. Could he let her in once again…and together would they slay his demons once and for all?
Читать The Best Revenge онлайн беплатно
Jessa had looked at him so intently, staring into his eyes as if she were searching for something.
As if she were searching for something she thought she should find.
Something familiar.
Heâd stopped breathing for a moment, wondering if somehow, some way, she had recognized him. And his heart gave a ridiculous leap as if, impossibly, in hope. Heâd sneered at himself the instant he recognized the long-lost emotion.
He didnât indulge in hope. It accomplished nothing, helped nothing, saved nothing.
Heâd had to fight down the urge to tell her.
Dear Reader,
There are times, as a writer, when you regret having created a certain character. When you wish youâd spent less time on them. When you wish you hadnât built them up quite so much. When youâre flat-out afraid that when their story rolls around, you wonât do them justice after all the preamble.
Enter the mysterious man known as St. John. Of all the characters of Redstone, Incorporated, other than Josh Redstone himself, St. John has generated the most reaction, the most mail, the most requests for his story. So naturally, my reaction was to stall. Wait. Tell myself Iâd know when the time was right. Yeah, thatâs it, I wasnât really afraid, it just wasnât time yet.
When I sat down to finally face the man and realized why he was the way he was, I wasnât afraid anymore. I was terrified. But he wouldnât budge, wouldnât allow me to shortchange him, coddle him or in any way clean up his life. It all had to be there, because it was what made him who he was.
So for all of you who have wondered and, thank you, cared, here at last is his story.
My best to you all,
Justine Davis
JUSTINE DAVIS
lives on Puget Sound in Washington. Her interests outside of writing are sailing, doing needlework, horseback riding and driving her restored 1967 Corvette roadsterâtop down, of course.
Justine says that years ago, during her career in law enforcement, a young man she worked with encouraged her to try for a promotion to a position that was at the time occupied only by men. âI succeeded, became wrapped up in my new job, and that man moved away, never, I thought, to be heard from again. Ten years later he appeared out of the woods of Washington State, saying heâd never forgotten me and would I please marry him. With that history, how could I write anything but romance?â
Contents
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
Epilogue
Chapter 1
âCoward.â
St. John looked at himself in the mirror. The scar was less vivid than usual this morning, perhaps because there wasnât much tan to contrast with the thin, long ridge that slashed along the right side of his jaw. That happened when you hid inside most of the time, he told himself.
Coward was definitely the word, he added silently.
Heâd been hiding more than usual lately. Not that there had been more problems at Redstone. The opposite in fact; things were going well on all fronts. The Hawk V jet was ready for delivery. The damage done by the snake in their midst at Research and Development was finally under control, losses minimized and security rebuilt. That had inspired their resident inventor to a new round of genius, including a couple of revolutionary concepts that had made even Josh Redstone blink; the idea of an implanted microchip to help stroke victims with residual tremors would never have occurred to him as a Redstone offshoot. But Ian Gamble had done it, and it had worked well in initial trials, was ready for further testing. Joshâs philosophy of hiring the best continued to pay off; Redstoneâs people were its true strength.
Unfortunately for St. John, they were also the problem. Not that there was anything wrong with them. To the contrary, they were indeed the best. And happy. Very happy. Deliriously happy.
Of late, annoyingly happy.
If I have to go to one more Redstone wedding.⦠He couldnât even finish the thought.
It wasnât that he begrudged them. Heâd made peace long ago with the fact that such things were not for him. It was simply that he didnât like the unaccustomed ache heâd begun to feel at the seemingly endless line of successful Redstone relationships and weddings. Even Redstone kids were starting to appear. And the only good thing he found in it all for himself was a bitter sort of thankfulness that none of them would ever face what heâd once faced. âAdd whiner to that coward,â he muttered aloud, aware even as he said it that doing so spoke volumes about his state of mind; most of the time he barely spoke to other people, let alone himself.
He glanced at his watch as he pulled it on: 4:30 a.m. He was running a bit late. But it had been peaceful for weeks now, no late-night calls from some far-flung outpost of the Redstone empire, from people looking for help, information or advice. Just as well, he didnât like delving into those interpersonal situations that popped up anyway. Business situations were just that; the personal problems dragged emotions into it, which was the moment when he wanted out.
