Against The Edge

A child he’s never met. A danger he’s never known.

That he’s a father is news Ben Slocum was not expecting. But once the initial shock wears off for the confirmed bachelor, he takes in the rest of what social worker Claire Chastain tells him: that Sam is in the custody of an abusive criminal, that they’ve disappeared. . . and that Ben is now the child’s only hope.

As Ben and Claire band together to track the two down, their concern for the boy draws them closer, each fighting feelings there’s no time to explore. Ben’s got one chance to take back what’s his, and in one gunshot he could lose it all . . .

Buy the Book

Other Book Purchase Options

Indiebound

Barnes & Noble

BooksaMillion

e-Book & Audiobook

Excerpt From

CHAPTER ONE

Houston, Texas

His head was pounding. Too much Jack Daniels last night. When Ben Slocum pulled his big black SUV into the driveway in front of his garage, the only thing on his mind was getting a couple hours of sleep.Reaching up to hit the garage door opener on his visor, his gaze swung to the porch and he spotted a woman in a conservative yellow business suit, rapping on his door.

Ben groaned.

Still dressed in the black tuxedo he’d been wearing last night, Ben shoved the Denali into park and turned off the engine, cracked open the door and slid out from behind the wheel. His slacks were wrinkled, his white pleated shirt haphazardly buttoned and opened halfway down the front. His black bow-tie hung loose around his collar.

Company this morning was the last thing he wanted.

He took a long look at the woman whose attention was now fixed on him as he crossed the front lawn. She was tall and slender, with dark brown hair clipped back at the nape of her neck, and a very pretty face. High cheek bones, a heart-shaped face, and full lips. Too bad they were currently thinned in a disapproving line.

He wondered what she was selling. Whatever it was, he wasn’t buying. He just wanted to hit the sheets.

Ben strode up on the porch. “’Fraid nobody’s home,” he said, hoping she would just go away. He wasn’t in the mood for another female, no matter how good she looked.

“I can see that,” she said. “I’m looking for Benjamin Slocum. I presume that’s you.”

He lifted a black eyebrow. “And you would be?”

“My name is Claire Chastain. I need to speak to you, Mr. Slocum, on a matter of extreme importance.”

“I’ll be in my office this afternoon. We can talk about anything you like.”

“This can’t wait.”

Of course not. She was a woman. Everything was a matter of critical meltdown. “Is this business or personal?”

“Personal.”

He let his gaze drift over her, taking in the soft curves. “Do we know each other, Ms. Chastain?” As in have we spent the night together, maybe I drank too much and don’t recall? But he hadn’t done that since he’d left the SEALs. Since then he had pretty much behaved himself. Well, more or less.

“No, we’ve never met. Please, Mr. Slocum. This is important and I would rather not discuss it out on your front porch.”

Irritation filtered through him. Who the hell did she thinks she was? “Angel, this had better be good.”