Deceptions
Authors: Cynthia Eden
Old sins explode in
New York Times
bestselling author Cynthia Eden's new Battling McGuire Boys!
People called Elizabeth Snow wild, and once she was. Now she's the straitlaced librarian with no interest in the wildest, sexiest McGuireâ¦until she needs him to protect her from a murderous stalker. But former Delta Force Mac does more than protectâhe quickly unleashes her untamed side again, taking their attraction to the furthest edge of desire!
Secrets from their pasts threaten Elizabeth and Macâas much as “The Fixer,” who seems to know their every move as they hunt this monstrous killer. Can they trust each other enough to go forward? Or will a shocking truth prove fatal?
“I know it's not your place,” he told her, and he didn't let his lips curl. Odd that, after everything, she actually made him want to smile. “It's mine.”
Elizabeth turned to look at him. “Why am I at your house?”
“Because you're spending the night with me.”
He easily heard her sharply indrawn breath.
“Look, Mac,” Elizabeth said, “that kiss was a heat-of-the-moment thing. Adrenaline and craziness. It wasn't me offeringâofferingâ”
“To jump into bed with me?” Mac asked as he pulled the car into the garage. He'd moved to that home on the edge of the city just a few weeks before. He'd felt closed in and he'd wanted a new place.
“Right.” Her voice was sharp. “I wasn't offering to jump into bed with you.”
He killed the engine. “Pity.”
“Macâ”
“You're here for your protection.” They'd get to the jumping-in-bed and heat-of-the-moment part again later. “In case you missed it, someone is gunning for you.”
DECEPTIONS
New York Times
Bestselling Author
Cynthia Eden
Cynthia Eden
, a
New York Times
bestselling author, writes tales of romantic suspense and paranormal romance. Her books have received starred reviews from
Publishers Weekly
, and she has received a RITA® Award nomination for best romantic suspense novel. Cynthia lives in the Deep South, loves horror movies and has an addiction to chocolate. More information about Cynthia may be found at
cynthiaeden.com
, or you can follow her on Twitter,
@cynthiaeden
.
Books by Cynthia Eden
Harlequin Intrigue
The Battling McGuire Boys
Deceptions
Shadow Agents
Shadow Agents: Guts and Glory
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Harlequin.com
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CAST OF CHARACTERS
Elizabeth Snowâ
This by-the-book librarian is hiding a troubled past and keeping dark secrets from the rest of the world. Elizabeth let her wild side out once beforeâwith deadly consequencesâand she's now determined to play things safe. But when her past comes back to haunt her, only Mackenzie “Mac” McGuire can keep her safe. Too bad Mac is exactly the kind of man she should never wantâdangerous and far too
wild
.
Mac McGuireâ
Mac is well used to danger, and the former Delta Force member loves nothing more than to lose himself in the adrenaline rush of battle. Known as the wildest McGuire brother, he has spent plenty of years raising hell. But when danger stalks Elizabeth, everything changes for Mac.
She
is his priority, and to keep her safe, he will take any risk and fight any threat that comes her way.
Sullivan McGuireâ
Sullivan has been keeping secrets from his family, but he is tired of carrying his pain in silence. When a new case brings him face-to-face with the woman he loved and lost so long ago, even he can't predict the desperate turn his life will take.
Steve Yeldonâ
A reporter who won't rest until he uncovers the truth, Steve has put a dangerous target on his back. He wants to help Elizabeth, but when a killer comes gunning for him, Steve may not even be able to help himself.
Melinda Chaferâ
Detective Chafer believes in fighting for truth and justice, even if there are some guys at Internal Affairs who might think otherwise. Melinda knows that she can prove herself, but when she gets drawn into the web of Elizabeth's tangled past, she learns that even a good cop can be tempted to walk away from the law.
Thank you, THANK YOU to all of the
amazing Harlequin Intrigue readers out there! I so appreciate
you taking the time to read about the McGuire family!
Chapter One
She should have been alone.
Elizabeth Snow had the late shift at the small library nestled on the outskirts of Austin, Texas. She was the one scheduled to close and secure the facility. She
should
have been the only one there.
So why had she just heard the faint pad of footsteps coming from the back?
Elizabeth froze a few feet from the library's exit. Her purse was slung over her shoulder, and her fingers had a pretty strong death grip on the strap. Shadows loomed from the heavy shelves of books, seeming to reach for her.
Normally, the library was a haven for her. So safe. So secure. But...
It was late. Those shadows were thick andâ
She heard a very distinct
thud.
As if a book had just fallen off a shelf. Or been knocked off. Elizabeth swallowed and called out, “Is someone there? The library is closed now. You need to leave.” She tried to use her firmest voice.
Silence.
Maybe her imagination was just a little too active. She
had
spent the last weekend watching a horror marathon on TV. Perhaps she wasâ
Thud.
Okay, that definitely had sounded like a book falling to the floor.
Someone is playing with me.
They'd never had any kind of security issue before. Sure, sometimes folks fell asleep among the library shelves, curled up at one of the tables, and those people would miss the announcements about closing time. But when she did her final walk-through, she gently woke them up and sent them on their way.
She'd done her walk-through a few minutes before and had found no stragglers.
“The library is closed!” She took a tentative step back toward her desk.
“Elizabeth...”
It was a whisper, raspy and low and male, and it had her tensing.
“Who's there?” Elizabeth demanded, voice rising. “This isn't funny. I'll call security!” A total lie. There was no security at the library. Not then, anyway.
“Been...waiting...”
His voice sounded closer.
No, this could not be happening to her. “Stop it!” Elizabeth called. “Justâ”
Someone banged on the door, a hard knock that had her yellingâscreamingâin surprise and whirling toward the glass doors.
A tall man stood at the main entrance. His shoulders were wide, almost ridiculously so, and his powerful chest was obviously muscled. She recognized him on sightâit was rather hard to forget a man like himâand Elizabeth normally would have just paused to admire the very fine sight of MacKenzie “Mac” McGuire, but right thenâ
She flew toward the door. Her breath sawed in and out of her lungs, and her heart raced as her fingers fumbled to disengage the lock.
Mac held up his book, a thriller she'd picked out for him during his last visit to the library. “Sorry to come in so late,” he said, his voice that deep, rolling rumble that she secretly adored. “But I saw the light on and I figured you'd beâ”
She grabbed him. His book tumbled to the floor. “Someone is in here.”
Mac's green eyes narrowed on her. His faceâa dangerously handsome face that
maybe
she fantasized a bit aboutâhardened. “What?”
She kept one hand on him and pointed behind her with the other. “I heard him. He's back there, calling my name! I don'tâ”
He pushed her behind him and immediately started stalking toward the shelves. She knew that Macâlike his brothersâhad spent time in the military. According to the gossip she'd picked up, Mac was ex-Delta Force, as tough as they came. As he moved forward with the slow, steady stride of a predator, she could practically feel the battle-ready tension pouring off him.
She crept behind him, trying to move as softly as he did, but totally failing as her purse and keys jingled and jangled with her steps. Mac paused and glanced back at her, frowning.
She pointed to the left. “There,” Elizabeth mouthed. “He came fromâ”
Glass shattered. Only the sound hadn't come from the left. It had come from the right. Mac took off running. She grabbed the first weapon she saw on her desk and rushed after him. Her high heels were slowing her down so she just kicked them off. She rounded the shelves, twisted around the library cart and then sheâ
Ran into Mac.
Their bodies collided with a hard impact and before she could send them both hurtling to the floor, Mac's hands flew up and wrapped around her. He steadied them both, holding her easily. She'd never been so close to him before. Never fully appreciated just how strong the guy was or how good he smelled andâ
“He's getting away.”
Oh, yes, right. She tried to back up.
“A stapler?” Mac muttered. “What the hell?”
She glanced at her left hand and the weapon she'd grabbed moments before. The stapler was pretty solid. It could do some damage if used properly.
But Mac didn't give her time to reply. He whirled toward the window. Whoever the mystery man had been, he'd shattered the glass as he made his getaway. Mac took a second to punch out more of the glass that jutted out from the window, and then he leaped out into the night. He ran forward, vanishing, and she peered out the window, staring after him as she held that stapler tight. An alarm began to beep. Finally, the library's alarm had kicked in. It
should
have sounded as soon as the glass broke.
She leaned even closer to the window, straining to see Mac. It was so dark out there. Was he okay? What if he'd just run straight into an ambush of some kind? The fingers of her right hand brushed aside the glass.
A car's revving engine vibrated in the night. There was a flash of headlights, and that vibrating engine grew louder as the vehicle raced away.
Someone was in here, calling my name.
Someone had been stalking her.
Been waiting...
His whisper drifted through her mind once again. She hated the fear that filled her. A fear that reminded herâ
no matter how far you run, there are some things you can't escape.
“Mac?” Elizabeth called as the alarm kept beeping. The cops would arrive soon. The alarm company would contact them, but what good would they do? That carâand the man who'd been in the libraryâwere long gone now.
“Mac?” His name was louder this time as she peered into the darkness. Where had he gone? What if that nut in the car had hurt him? Sure, she got that Mac was supposed to be some kind of super tough guy, but even tough guys didn't win in fights with moving vehicles. What if he'd been hit; what ifâ
“Elizabeth.”
She whirled and swung the stapler at him.
Sighing, Mac caught her wrist in his hand. The move was incredibly fast. Scary fast. Super reflex fast. Then, keeping his right hand around hers, his left removed the stapler and tossed it aside. “He's gone.”
And she was about to jump out of her skin. “You scared me to death!” Elizabeth accused him. “What were you thinking?”
His dark brows shot up. “I called your name three times. The alarm is so loud you just didn't hear me.”
She blinked. “Oh. Right.”
“The system is set up to alert the cops, isn't it?” He was still holding her hand. She could feel the roughness of calluses on his fingertips.
“It is,” Elizabeth said. She had to look back over her shoulder, peering out that window into the darkness once more.
“They'll check the scene, but he's long gone. I didn't see a tag on the car. Didn't see much of anything because the joker waited and tried to blind me with his bright lights.”
She remembered the flash of light that had burst into the darkness.
“Are you okay?” Mac asked her.
And...his fingers were sliding lightly against the inside of her wrist. The touch was almost a caress, and it made her nervous. Edgy. But then again, Mac usually made her feel that way.
He'd started coming into the library a few weeks ago. The first time she'd looked up and seen him standing on the opposite side of the checkout counter, her jaw had dropped.
Sexy.
That was the only word for Mac, with his dark hair, that hard jaw, his sensual lips andâ
Sirens.
Sirens were screaming outside. The cops were responding way faster than she'd anticipated.
“Elizabeth,” Mac pushed. “Are you okay?”
She forced herself to smile. “Fine. I'm glad you were here.” That was probably one of the most honest things she'd said in months. If he hadn't shown up, just what would she have done?
Mac didn't release her. “Do you have any enemies, Elizabeth?”
She kept her smile in place. “I'm a librarian. I try really hard not to make too many people angry.”
He kept staring at her. No humor softened his face. Right. This wasn't the time for humor.
She let her smile vanish. “Thank you.” Her voice was softer. The sirens were louder. “I owe you a serious debt of gratitude.”
He let her go. “I'll collect on that debt.”
What?
“Later. For now, let's go meet the cops before some uniform comes in here with guns blazing.” He steered her toward the main door. “Watch out for the glass.”
It crunched beneath their feet.
* * *
“H
E
DROPPED
THE
knife when he was running.” Mac hadn't wanted to tell Elizabeth that fact; at least, not right away. He just hadn't wanted to scare her too much.
But the cops had finished their sweep in the library, and now they were searching the roadâand the exact spot where the would-be attacker had fled.
“There,” Mac said, pointing. “I didn't touch it in case there were prints left behind.”
“A knife?” Elizabeth said, her normally husky, sexy voice turning into a sharp cry of fear. “What? He had a
knife
?”
Yes, and that fact had fury surging inside Mac. The cops hadn't seemed overly concerned when they'd first appeared on the scene. He'd heard them muttering about kids and pranks. And he'd known they needed to get to the knife ASAP.
One bent and carefully inspected the knife. “A switchblade,” he said, and he glanced up at Mac. “You
sure
the guy dropped it? I mean, it's really dark out here andâ”
“He dropped it,” Mac said flatly. “So get it checked for prints.” When some bozo hid in a vacant library, waiting with a
knife
, the cops should know that meant trouble.
From the corner of his eye, Mac saw Elizabeth take a step back. Her hand was near her mouth and, if there'd been more light, he was sure he would have seen horror reflected in her warm brown eyes.
Elizabeth Snow.
He remembered the first time he'd seen the new librarian. He'd been there to study the newspaper archives, looking for any stories that might have hit when his mother first came to town, so long ago. Those records hadn't been digitized, but there were microfiche copies in the library. It had been his first venture into old-school research.
And his first glimpse of Elizabeth.
Her hair had been loose around her shoulders, a dark curtain that framed her heart-shaped face. She'd been laughing when she turned toward him, but as soon as she glanced into his eyes, her laughter had stopped.
Don't stop.
His immediate thought. Because he'd liked the sound of her laughter.
Red had stained her high cheekbones, and her full lips had still been curved into a smile when she asked if she could help him.
In so many ways, so many.
The police lights were flashing around them, and he saw her trembling hand tucking her hair behind her ear. “He came after me with a knife?”
The uniforms shared a glance. “We don't know exactly what his intentions were, ma'am,” one said carefully. “Maybe the guy thought he could rob you, possibly get some money from the cash register inside.”
“There
is
no cash inside. We charge for overdue books, that's it. There's not enough money in there worth stealing.” Her arms wrapped around her stomach. “And he called my name.”
Which meant, in Mac's book, that the attack had definitely been personal. He edged closer to Elizabeth. Something was going on here, something that he was missing. When he'd asked her if she had any enemies, her voice had hitched a bit when she replied.
Lie.
So he couldn't help but wonder: Just what sort of enemies would a sweet librarian have? And Elizabeth was sweet. She smelled like cinnamon, and he pretty much wanted to damn well gobble her up. He'd seen her reading to the kids, leading them in story-time dances. He'd seen her
too much.
Hell...
I'm the one turning into a stalker.
“And why were you here, Mr. McGuire?” one of the cops asked as if reading his thoughts.
“Iâ”
“He was turning in a book,” Elizabeth said quickly. “And I am so very glad that he was.”
Mac shrugged. “It was overdue.” A total lie. He'd just wanted to see her.
“I'll waive that fine,” Elizabeth said, for some reason choosing to go along with his story as her fingers brushed his shoulder. Mac couldn't help itâhe tensed at her touch. It seemed as if an electric current shot right through him. There was just something about Elizabeth...
Her hand dropped.
She backed away.
Something about her, but the woman is not interested in me.
He'd tried to ask her out before. A time or two. Or four. She'd shot him down every time.
He guessed that a rough and ready ex-Delta Force member wasn't her idea of proper date material. Too bad. She should know that opposites could definitely attract.
“I called the library's director,” Elizabeth said. “She's coming to make sure the window is secured. She said the alarm team would be here soon, too.”
