Two Souls Hollow
Her best protection came from an unlikely bodyguardWhen secrets leak from The Gates, the hunt is on for a mole. All evidence points to Anson Daughtry, who knows their security inside and out. Only co-worker Ginny Coltrane can help clear his name, but she’s caught in the middle of a turf war between militants in the Smoky Mountains. More at ease behind a computer than with a gun, Anson makes for an unlikely bodyguard. But hunkering down in the Tennessee foothills, turns out Ginny’s not exactly the “need to be protected” type. Still, with someone stalking their every move, Anson isn't about to let her out of his sight. Or, if he gets his way, out of his arms.
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As she started to speak, he heard the sound of shattering glass coming from somewhere in the house.
It was apparently loud enough to carry through the phone, because a moment later, Ginny asked, âWhat was that?â
âIâm not sure,â he answered, keeping his voice low. He stepped out of her room into the hall. From there, he could see into the kitchen. Nothing seemed out of place.
Then he heard the sound of more glass breaking, coming from the front of the house. Glass clattered onto a hard surface, then a second later came the unmistakable crunch of glass being broken underfoot.
âAnson?â Ginnyâs voice rose in his ear.
He ducked back into her bedroom and eased the door closed, his heart pounding. âSomeoneâs breaking into your house.â
PAULA GRAVES, an Alabama native, wrote her first book at the age of six. A voracious reader, Paula loves books that pair tantalizing mystery with compelling romance. When sheâs not reading or writing, she works as a creative director for a Birmingham advertising agency and spends time with her family and friends. Paula invites readers to visit her website, www.paulagraves.com.
For my buddy Paul, whose sweetness is eclipsed only by his geektastic awesomeness.
Contents
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
Epilogue
Kittens. Bunnies. Lemon icebox pie with whipped cream. The real stuff, not that gunk that came out of a can.
That was Ginny Coltrane. Soft, sweet and delicious.
So what the hell was she doing walking into the seediest bar in Ridge County?
Anson Daughtryâs cell phone buzzed. He glanced at the display and grimaced as he answered. âHey, boss. Can I still call you that? This whole administrative-leave thing is a little confusing.â
âIâm still writing your paychecks,â Alexander Quinn answered in that toneless voice he used when he didnât want to let anyone know what he was really feeling. Of course, that usually meant he was ticked off and didnât want to give anyone the pleasure of knowing it. Anson took a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing he could get to the unflappable ex-CIA agent that way. Felt like a victory, and heâd had damned few of those in recent days.
âBoss it is, then.â
âI wanted to let you know Iâve taken Darcy off administrative leave.â
Keeping his eyes on the entrance of the Whiskey Road Tavern, Anson tried to keep any hint of emotion out of his own voice. âAlready heard.â
âYouâre angry.â
So much for keeping emotion out of his voice. âDonât know why youâd say that. I mean, itâs not like Iâm now your prime suspect for corporate espionage or anything.â
âI have to go through the process.â
âAnd Darcy gets a free pass why?â Anson stopped trying to hide his bitterness. Quinn would see through him anyway. âBecause he saved an FBI agent in trouble and fed her corrupt supervisor to the band of domestic terrorists the man was trying to use for his own purposes? Stupid me, not stumbling into a chance to play hero and win your approval.â
âGet over yourself, Daughtry. Unless youâd like me to cut you loose and let you see how easy it is to find another job with a cloud of suspicion hanging over your head?â
He hated when Quinn got haughty. And the temptation to turn in his resignation, regardless of how hard it made his life, was almost more than he could resist. Heâd never been much of a joiner anyway.
But an IT job at a commercial company would bore him senseless. And heâd worked for law-enforcement agencies before and quickly discovered he was ill-suited for the law-and-order mind-set.
He was a cyber cowboy, he thought with a wry grin. And the high-stakes security firm known as The Gates was Ansonâs version of the Wild, Wild West. Hell if heâd let anyone drive him out on false charges.
âFine. Darcy is cleared. Iâm not. Is that the only reason you called?â
âI hoped, in vain, to reach you before youâd heard.â Quinnâs voice lowered. âAnd to make sure you understand that this suspension is not an indication of my own opinion about your guilt or innocence.â
âYou believe in me so much youâre extending my paid vacation? Iâm touched.â
âI realize itâs hard to believe this, but I am not your enemy.â
The front door of the Whiskey Road Tavern opened and Ginny Coltrane exited, her arm around the waist of a tall dark-haired man. He leaned heavily on her, clearly not in complete control of his motor skills, as she guided him toward her little blue Ford Focus.
Anson leaned toward the windshield of his own car, trying to get a better look in the blue glow of the streetlamp. What was a sweet little gumdrop like Ginny Coltrane doing hauling a strapping hunk of a drunk out of a notorious mountain honky-tonk?
