As an undercover FBI agent, Kimi is no stranger to life-threatening situations. So when her latest assignment leads to one of Boston’s biggest crime families, she’s confident she can handle the pressure. But as she becomes embroiled in the lives of Finn and Lorcan Donaghey, Kimi realizes she might not be able to separate her job from her heart so easily this time. Readers who enjoy romantic suspense and mafia romances will want to sink their teeth into Retribution by Wendy Million, an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity romance.
As an undercover FBI agent, Kimi is no stranger to life-threatening situations. When her newest assignment leads to the Donaghey brothers, one of Boston’s biggest crime families, Kimi is confident she can handle the pressure.
But as she becomes embroiled in the lives of Finn and Lorcan, she realizes she might not be able to separate her job as Kim from the heart of Kimi quite so easily this time.
On the cusp of a mob war, Kimi must decide who to believe and who to save. Sometimes doing the right thing means doing something very wrong.
Excerpt
Copyright 2024, Wendy Million
Get it together, Kim. Get your head in the game, Kimi. Deep breaths.
The door opens without a knock. Why didn’t I lock it?
“Kim?” Lorcan’s words have the lilting quality that warms my body.
With the wall for support, I try to rise, but my legs almost give out. He rushes to my side and wraps a strong, sturdy arm around my waist.
“What the hell?” He examines my face, confusion and annoyance warring in him.
“I’m not feeling well.”
Concern overtakes the other emotions, filling his hazel eyes, and his lips purse. “We’ll reschedule.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I just need a minute.” Easing away from him, I tug down my jacket and straighten my shirt. My hands are raw, red.
“Kim.” His voice is pitched low. “I’m not putting you in that room if you’re feeling rough.” The bright color of my hands catches his attention, and he snatches one to examine. “What’d you do?”
“The soap.” With my head, I gesture to the sink.
He watches me, curiosity tinged with anger dancing across his face. “Did my deartháir mor do something to you earlier?”
I tug my hand from his larger ones. “No, no. I’m fine. I must have eaten something that didn’t agree with me. It came on suddenly, but I’m fine now. I can do this. I’ll be fine.” Even as I say it, my hand shakes when I yank again on the bottom of my jacket.
“That room is full of men who could kill us. It’s not the time for false bravado. Could you shoot a gun right now?” His voice is an urgent whisper.
“No.”
“No?”
“No.” Under my lashes, I can’t meet his gaze.
He sighs. While he looks at me, his hands clench into fists and then relax over and over. “Come out when you’re feeling better, or I’ll have someone come get you when we’re done. You hear shots, you get the hell outta here. Exit out to your left. You understand me?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I don’t glance up until the door clicks closed behind him. At the sink, I press my hands into the sides of the vanity and stare at myself. Any credibility I’ve built the last few weeks is being destroyed the longer I’m in here. My black eyes peer back at me in a face that appears sun-kissed. I yank my hair out of the ponytail and redo it, trying to blank out my mind.
Chad. My Chad in that photo.
When I focus on my hands, Chad’s sticky hair coats them, blood seeping between my fingers as I scream for help in a deserted street. My chest aches at the memory. With my eyes closed, I swallow, and my throat is scratchy. I pushed these memories down so far I didn’t think they’d ever resurface.
It’s been twenty years. Might as well be yesterday.
I will get answers. When he died, I was too young; I didn’t understand. Seeing his picture on the wall is like having a window pried open in a hot, stuffy room.
I’m not closing it again.
War might be inevitable.
If the O’Malleys killed Chad, I’ll be the one firing the first shot.
About Wendy Million
Wendy Million is an award-winning author whose contemporary romances about strong women and troubled men have captivated her loyal readers. She is the author of the contemporary second-chance romances, When Stars Fall and Miss Matched. Writing as W. Million, she is the author of the Bellerive Royals series.
When not writing, Wendy enjoys spending time in or around the water. She lives in Ontario, Canada with two beautiful daughters, two cute pooches, and one handsome husband (who is grateful she doesn’t need two of those).
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