Derick (Delta Forces Book 3) Read online

  Finally, the bastard reached the top of the stairs. Stepping into the bedroom, the man lifted his arm. Sandy, safely off to the side of the door, waited.

  “Now I have you, Carrie! And no, I’m not going to kill you. Yet!” He laughed, the sound coming across as more than slightly maniacal.

  There was a gunshot and Sandy moved fast. She grabbed the bastard’s arm and twisted, forcing the pistol out of his hands. Simply because he’d shot the woman’s air mattress, which certainly didn’t deserve to die, Sandy continued to twist. Whoops! His arm came out of his shoulder socket.

  “John Mingram, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Carrie Andrews. For the assault of Carrie Andrews.” Sandy continued, listing every offense they had collected while the bastard shouted obscenities. The other officers poured into the room, pointing their weapons at John. He wasn’t going anywhere. Not with Sandy pressing him against the wall and his arm twisted at an odd angle behind his back.

  Since the bastard kept kicking and shoving, trying pointlessly to dislodge her, no one really cared that the guy’s arm had popped out of his socket. It happened.

  When she had her handcuffs on him, she hauled him back, one hand to steady him, the other on his hands to protect him. Still, he resisted and, stupidly, he tried to head butt the officers standing a few feet away.

  One of the officers simply lifted his knee, effectively fending off the attack. John hit the floor, his breath caught in his throat as he clutched his throbbing testicles.

  More officers streamed through the doorway, the sheriff in the lead. “What happened to him?” Sheriff Davenport asked, eyeing John with only mild concern.

  “Resisted arrest. Then tried to attack Moe,” Sandy explained. Moe nodded confirmation. “It’s all on video, sir.”

  Richard nodded, then moved off. “Fine. Get him into the squad car.”

  Epilogue

  “This is Andrea Gibbons reporting for the six o’clock news,” the reporter announced, smiling into the camera. “Today, dramatic events happened at the courthouse as Judge Evan Crawley was arrested after receiving news of his pending impeachment. You’ll remember last week that charges were brought against Police Chief Pleurs as well as Judge Crawley. It was discovered that they were complicit in the assault of a woman three years ago, at which time, it was discovered that the police chief and judge ignored evidence of the brutal beating by one of the city’s very own detectives. Since then, numerous other people have come forward with stories about how the judge and police chief accepted bribes, ignored evidence, and personal misconduct. A look at the judge’s personal finances revealed that he paid cash for a lake house worth more than three million dollars.” She went on to reveal the annual salary of a judge in the state. “And now, the weather for this weekend is going to be a chilly start to October.”

  Carrie walked out of the courthouse and took a long, deep breath. Derick’s arm was still around her waist and she leaned her head against his shoulder. “You okay?” he asked.

  Carrie thought for a long moment. “He’s going away for a long time,” she said, referring to John. “So yeah. I’m better than okay.”

  Derick hugged her again and pushed his sunglasses higher on his nose. “Come on, Ms. Matlock. Let’s go home. I think that Zeke made a cake to celebrate.”

  Carrie laughed, flipping her strawberry blond hair over her shoulder. “That man loves to cook!”

  “Hey, give him a break. Abby was due last week. He can barely think straight.”

  She laughed when Derick lifted her up, tucking her into the passenger seat of his truck. Gone were the baggy jeans and she now wore a pair of denims that hugged her figure. At Derick’s insistence, she’d gained about ten pounds and Carrie felt much healthier with the additional weight. They’d been married for a month now and she couldn’t be happier. Especially since a very lovely police detective had asked about buying the house that she’d finally finished renovating.

  “I love you,” she whispered to him as she leaned in to kiss him.

  He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. “I love you too,” he replied.

  Author’s Note: I truly hope that you enjoyed Derick’s story. If you wouldn’t mind, would you take just a few moments to leave a review? Just click HERE – and thank you!!

  If there are comments that you’d rather not share publicly, please feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]. And thank you!

  Keep flipping for a sneak preview of “Joe”! (There are four books in this series! Mike, Zeke, Derick and Joe! All four of these were previously released to my subscribers for free. I try to release at least one free novella to my subscribers every year – and subscribers always get news of sales, free book introductions and other fun events! If you’d like to subscribe, Click HERE)

  Excerpt from “Joe”

  Release Date: December 25, 2020

  Click HERE to get Joe’s Story!

  She hadn’t seen him coming. Sandy stared at the man stepping through the door, stunned by the raw power and lethal grace. The tray of glasses trembled as she stumbled slightly, which only made the situation worse. At the sound, his eyes scanned the room, narrowing on her.

  For a long moment, they simply stared at each other, the awareness arching between them like an electric current. She could feel the weight of his eyes on her, as intimate as any caress. Pulsing beats of power surged through the room and Sandy wondered how the others didn’t notice.

  Someone shrieked behind her and, thankfully, the spell was broken. She turned, searching for the source of the noise and realized that it was only Lexie Cain, Colonel Mike Cain’s wife, entering the room in search of the bride to be, Carrie Andrews, and her fiancé, Major Derick Matlock.

  Sandy looked around, realized that she was standing awkwardly in the pathway between the kitchen and the small dining room/living room. Others were trying to slip around her so she moved forward, delivering the drinks to the engagement party guests who were sitting in the living room.

  Taking a deep breath, she smiled and moved away, needing a moment. Just one small moment, to recharge and refocus. That look had been intense and Sandy didn’t need “intense” in her life right now. Or ever. She had her life in order and a distractingly gorgeous man was not on her agenda.

  Not anymore.

  At another time in her life, perhaps. Before she knew…well, she wasn’t that lively woman any more. And if she missed that person, missed the hopes and dreams that she once had, well, that was life. And sometimes, life sucked.

  A dog barked and Sandy glanced through the window towards her own house. Herbert and Roxy stood at the fence line, looking on as more people arrived for the engagement party. Smiling, her heart swelled with love for the canines that had been more than just companions. They were her babies.

  “Cute dogs,” a deep, male voice commented.

  Sandy turned, schooling her features as she did. “Thanks,” she said as she faced the man. “They have great personalities.”

  “I’m Joe,” he said, extending his hand. “And you’re Detective Sandy McLean, correct?”

  “That’s right. How did you…?”

  “I’ve heard the story about how you took down Carrie’s ex.” His lips curled upward and his hazel eyes sparkled with admiration. “I wish I could have been there.”

  She grinned, feeling triumph and victory, both powerful sensations. “It was pretty nice.”

  Joe’s deep laughter sent unappreciated tingles throughout her body. But she ignored them. They were pointless, anyway. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Joe.”

  She moved away, heading back towards the kitchen for the next tray of canapés. Derick’s kitchen was different from her own next door, but similar enough that she could figure out where most things were. And since Carrie and Derick were currently swamped with guests eager to offer their congratulations, Sandy had stepped up as hostess.

  That plan worked for the next couple of hours, but by nine o’clock, the party was still
going strong and there was no more food to put out. As members of the elite Delta Force team stationed here in Alabama, the guys were all buff and arrogantly confident. Both traits held a potent allure for the local ladies as well as the female soldiers on base, so none of the men present were without a woman on his arm. Except for one, she thought, her eyes straying to the man across the room. He was leaning on the fireplace mantle, looking hot in a white cotton button down shirt and a pair of jeans that had been well-worn and were now soft and looked comfortable, fitting snuggly around his powerful legs.

  Unfortunately, as soon as she looked in his direction, he sensed her gaze. A pulse beat of awareness pounded between them before she regained control and looked away. Why did she keep looking at him? It seemed pointless and silly.

  Sandy wasn’t the girly kind. She was tough and responsible. She was a police detective! She didn’t have feminine wiles and wouldn’t know what to do with them even if she did!

  Joe watched the beautiful blonde woman, smiling to himself as she seemed to be mentally admonishing herself for staring at him. She was slim, but not in a soft way. Underneath that soft, pink sweater were tempting breasts that weren’t too big or too small. She had Goldilocks breasts, Joe thought with a mental chuckle. She might not like the branding, but her breasts were just right. A handful, but not overflowing.

  She must have sensed his gaze because her nipples peaked underneath the soft material, showing him that she was just as aware of him as he was of her, even if she was trying to pretend otherwise. Lifting his eyes, he couldn’t hide his triumph at her body’s reaction to him. Especially since he’d been fighting an almost painful need for her as well. Fair was fair, he thought.

  “You know that’s my neighbor, right?” Derick teased.

  Joe pulled his eyes back to his friend, his dark eyebrows lifting. “I’m sorry?”

  “Sandy? The woman you’ve glanced at maybe twenty times in the last ten minutes? She’s my neighbor. Stop mentally undressing my neighbor. She’s a nice, decent person.”

  “She’s beautiful,” Joe countered, looking at her again.

  Click HERE to get Joe’s Story!