Claiming Felicity by Susan Stoker

2018

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Author:	Susan Stoker
Genre:	Contemporary Romance
File Name:	claiming-felicity-by-susan-stoker.epub
Original Title:	Claiming Felicity (Ace Security Book 4)
Creator:	Susan Stoker
Language:	en
Identifier:	MOBI-ASIN:B075JJDSXR
Publisher:	Montlake Romance
Date:	1519660800
File Size:	549447.68

Former mercenary Ryder Sinclair’s stunning discovery that he has three half brothers in Castle Rock, Colorado, is giving them all the chance to color in the spaces of their tragic pasts. For Ryder, establishing roots is made all the more desirable by Felicity Jones. But if Ryder’s instincts are correct, this breathtaking beauty is in trouble.

Castle Rock isn’t Felicity’s home. Like her false identity, it’s just a cover. All she wants is enough cash to keep moving to another temporary hideaway—to stay on the run from a secret that’s haunted her for years. As safe as Ryder’s strong embrace makes her feel, she fears that falling for him, and staying in Colorado, will put everyone she’s come to love in danger.

The more Ryder learns about Felicity, the more determined he is not to let her go. It’s time for her to stop running—even as a relentless danger closes in, threatening their love and their lives.

Table of Content

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2. DISCOVER OTHER TITLES BY SUSAN STOKER Ace Security Series Claiming Grace Claiming Alexis Claiming Bailey Claiming Felicity Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Series Justice for Mackenzie Justice for Mickie Justice for Corrie Justice for Laine (novella) Shelter for Elizabeth Justice for Boone Shelter for Adeline Shelter for Sophie Justice for Erin Justice for Milena (March 2018) Shelter for Blythe (July 2018) Justice for Hope (TBA) Shelter for Quinn (TBA) Shelter for Koren (TBA) Shelter for Penelope (TBA) Delta Force Heroes Series Rescuing Rayne Assisting Aimee (novella) Rescuing Emily Rescuing Harley Marrying Emily Rescuing Kassie Rescuing Bryn Rescuing Casey Rescuing Sadie (April 2018) Rescuing Wendy (May 2018) Rescuing Mary (November 2018) SEAL of Protection Series Protecting Caroline Protecting Alabama Protecting Fiona Marrying Caroline (novella) Protecting Summer Protecting Cheyenne Protecting Jessyka Protecting Julie (novella) Protecting Melody Protecting the Future Protecting Alabama’s
3. Unnamed
4. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Text copyright © 2018 by Susan Stoker All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake Romance are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781503954168 ISBN-10: 1503954161 Cover design by Eileen Carey
5. Contents Prologue 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 Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author Connect with Susan Online
6. Unnamed
7. Prologue Ten years ago, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois Megan Parkins put her pillow over her head to try to drown out the voices coming from the other side of the wall . . . but it was no use. She could hear her roommate, Colleen Murphy, and Colleen’s boyfriend, Joseph, as easily as if they were standing right next to her. “You’re an embarrassment, Colleen. A complete and utter embarrassment. What’d I tell you before we left?” “Th-That I should stay by your side.” “And what did you do?” “I went to the bathroom.” “Did I tell you you could go to the bathroom?” “No, but, Joseph, I really had to go.” Megan flinched at the sound of Colleen being struck. She squeezed her eyes together and clenched her teeth. She hated Joseph. With every fiber of her being. She’d told her friend over and over that he was bad news. That she should break up with him. But Colleen didn’t listen. Defended Joseph, in fact, saying that his father had been really strict with him, and he’d learned discipli
8. Chapter One Present day “Tell us how you found out about us again?” Logan Anderson asked. Ryder “Ace” Sinclair was trying to look relaxed sitting across from his three half brothers. He’d introduced himself the night before, but now that his existence had had a chance to sink in, he and his brothers were having a more in-depth conversation. Finding out more about who the others were. “My mom told me about how she met your dad when he was on a business trip down in Colorado Springs. She knew he was married, but it didn’t seem to matter to either of them. When you find the person meant to be yours, there’s no denying it.” Ryder ignored the growl of the middle triplet, Blake, and continued. “They were together a couple of times. My mom said she’d never been happier. But something happened here in Castle Rock, and Ace told her he couldn’t see her anymore. Said it was for her own good. Broke my mom’s heart. She found out two months later she was pregnant with me.” “Did she try to contact my
9. Chapter Two Felicity Jones glared at her business partner, one of her closest friends. She and Cole had made an agreement when they’d first opened Rock Hard Gym. He would legally own the gym on paper, but she was an equal partner, as she’d ponied up a good amount of the cash to get the gym going. She’d thought there was an implied agreement that anytime she wanted out, he’d pay her back the money she’d put in. But now he was refusing. Not only that, but he was demanding more information. Why did she want the money? Why did she want to leave Castle Rock? What wasn’t she telling him? All very perceptive questions, and things she wasn’t ready to talk about. Not with him. Not with anyone. Not now, and not ever. It was for their own good. But then Cole had gone and called Grace. And Felicity knew without a doubt she’d bring reinforcements—namely, her husband and his brothers. It wasn’t fair. But what about her life had ever been fair? When the door to the office opened, Felicity wasn’t surp
10. Chapter Three Ryder sat at a table in the coffee shop across from Rock Hard Gym and sipped his coffee. Black. No frou-frou shit for him. His eyes were glued to the door across the street as he listened to Logan. He’d been staying in a local hotel for the last week, but that was going to end soon. It wasn’t a matter of money, but because of the itch on the back of his neck. Felicity was in trouble. He could feel it down to the marrow of his bones. But he couldn’t help her if she didn’t talk to him. Ever since he’d told her he would take care of her problems, she’d been avoiding him. Wouldn’t meet his eyes and fled his presence as soon as she could. But he wasn’t deterred. No, the best things in life came to those who waited. And he would wait her out. For as long as it took. Felicity Jones was his. He didn’t question it. It just was. He’d seen a lot of bad things in his life. Had done things that would make people call him a monster. But Felicity was his reward. His reward for all the s
11. Chapter Four Ryder stood behind Felicity as she nervously fumbled with the lock at her apartment door and frowned. There were so many things that were security issues, his fingers twitched with the need to fix them. Her door wasn’t terribly sturdy, as it was simply another door in the interior of the gym. There was a stairwell in the back hall of the gym that led to a skinny hallway on the second floor of the building that needed more lighting. Felicity explained that the other rooms were used for storage, for the most part, which someone could easily hide in. She’d explained that a small apartment was built into the space when the blueprints were drawn up. It was obvious Felicity wasn’t comfortable having Ryder in her apartment, but she’d just have to get over it. She didn’t know it, but letting him into her private space was akin to agreeing to be his. She wasn’t a woman who trusted easily, and being invited into her apartment seemed intimate. It shouldn’t have felt so right to step
12. Chapter Five The next day, Ryder made a phone call. “Hey, Gray, it’s Ace.” “Ace! Where’d you run off to? Haven’t seen you around The Pit in a while. Black and Arrow are jonesin’ to challenge you to a game of pool too.” Ryder smiled. It was nice to be missed. They’d seen too many instances in their line of work of people disappearing who weren’t missed until months had gone by. He wasn’t the most social of men, but even though he’d only been gone for a little more than a week, Gray and the others had noticed. “I had something to do up in Castle Rock. Listen, I need a favor.” “Anything.” Gray’s answer was immediate and heartfelt. They were a ragtag group, but they could trust and rely on each other with no questions asked. They’d had each other’s backs more than once. They weren’t a sanctioned special forces team, but they sure acted like it when they were on a mission. “I need as much information as you can find on a Joseph Waters. I don’t know where he’s from, what he does, or even wha
13. Chapter Six Ryder sat at the table in the back of Ace Security and looked around at his half brothers. He didn’t exactly have a lot of information to share with them about Felicity’s situation, but he was hoping they’d agree with him that she needed watching over. As much as he wanted to be with Felicity twenty-four/seven, he knew that simply wasn’t going to be possible. She’d hate it, and the last thing he wanted was to make her feel as if she was suffocating. “Tell us what you found out about Felicity,” Logan ordered, getting right to it. For the next fifteen minutes, Ryder went over what he knew about her situation, which admittedly wasn’t a lot. He told them Cole was watching her at the moment and was briefed on the basics of her situation as well. When he was done speaking, Logan asked, “Are you sure about all this?” “Absolutely.” “Why?” Blake asked. “I mean, you don’t know her. You’ve only been here a little over a week. What makes you think you know Felicity better than we do?”
14. Chapter Seven In her apartment, Ryder sat across from Felicity and watched her eat out of the corner of his eye. It had been a week since the incident with his car. She’d been horrified and had apologized a hundred times, and he’d finally had to tell her that if she said she was sorry one more time, he’d have no choice but to turn her over his knee and paddle her ass as she wasn’t the one who vandalized his car. He wouldn’t have, there was no way he would ever strike her, but she didn’t know that. She turned red, bit her lip, and nodded. Score one for him. He did have to admit, however reluctantly, that the mysterious stalker had done him a favor, as Felicity hadn’t even blinked when he’d told her he’d be staying in her apartment with her from then on out. The relief in her eyes spoke volumes. But she wasn’t doing well. She wasn’t eating much—currently she was moving the food around her plate more than she was consuming it. And while he was staying in her small apartment with her, she
15. Chapter Eight “What is up with the two of you?” Alexis asked quietly two hours later. Felicity looked down at the baby in her arms so she didn’t have to look at Alexis and shrugged. “What do you mean?” “Don’t play dumb, girl. You and Ryder have been stealing glances at each other all afternoon. “It’s complicated,” Felicity told her. “It’s really not,” Alexis argued. “It is. Besides, I haven’t known him that long.” “I knew the first time I saw Blake that he was the man for me,” Alexis said without a trace of self-consciousness. Felicity gaped at her. “You did?” “Yup. And he only saw me as an annoying younger chick who he had to work with.” “There’s no way. He loves you.” “He does,” Alexis agreed. “Now. But when he first met me, he thought I was a rich spoiled brat who was fucking around and only wanted to work at Ace Security for some reason he didn’t know or understand.” “Wow. What changed?” Alexis shrugged. “I guess he got to know me. Saw how much I enjoyed what I did. That I wasn’t g
16. Chapter Nine Felicity heard Ryder on the phone the next morning as she lay in bed. She heard him say her real name, the one she’d revealed the day before. She wasn’t surprised. She’d known when she’d told it to him that he’d be reporting it to his friends. Instead of feeling nervous or scared about it, though, it felt . . . freeing. For the first time in ten years, she didn’t have the urge to constantly look behind her. Oh, she knew Joseph was out there somewhere. He wouldn’t have sent her that note or the newspaper article if he didn’t want her to know he was near. It wasn’t his way to pop out of the bushes with a gun. No, he liked to torment. To scare. And he was damn good at it. He’d found her right after she’d left Chicago, and it had been traumatizing enough for her to figure out how to acquire a new name and try to disappear for good. She couldn’t hear Ryder’s exact words anymore, he must’ve moved into the kitchen, but she could still hear the low rumble of him talking. Felicity’
17. Chapter Ten “Rex? It’s Ace.” “What’s wrong?” Ryder’s lips twitched. Figured his handler would immediately know something was up. “I have a situation that I could use your help with.” “Shoot.” “Right around the time my mom died, I found out I had three half brothers. They live in Castle Rock, and I came up to meet them. Stepped right in the middle of a situation.” “What kind of situation?” Ryder liked that his handler didn’t beat around the bush. “One involving a woman who has become very special to me, and a stalker who has gotten too close for comfort. He broke into her apartment tonight.” “You need her locks changed right now? Or will the morning work?” Rex asked without hesitation. Ryder sighed in relief. He knew he could ask his brothers for a locksmith recommendation, as they most likely had some connections in the area, but Rex offering to take care of it right now meant he could concentrate on making sure Felicity was all right sooner rather than later. “Morning will be fine. I’
18. Chapter Eleven A week later, Felicity wasn’t sure she’d done the right thing by telling Ryder everything. She’d woken up the morning after she’d spilled her guts and had thought things would be awkward between them, but they hadn’t been. When her alarm went off at its usual time, letting her know to get up so she could get her workout in, he’d simply kissed her on the forehead and slipped out of bed. When she’d wandered out of her room after getting changed into workout clothes, he’d met her in the kitchen, looking as hot as ever, with a can of V8 juice, her usual morning beverage, and told her he’d meet the locksmith to take care of changing her lock and Cole would meet her downstairs for their usual workout. Just when Felicity thought Ryder was going to ignore the intimacy they’d shared, he’d grabbed her hand when she turned to walk out of the kitchen and pulled her back into him. He’d kissed the hell out of her, and then had gently pushed her toward the door, saying, “Better not be
19. Chapter Twelve Felicity sat next to Bailey in the tattoo parlor as the artist worked on the ink on her back. The crude tattoo that Felicity’s ex-boyfriend had put on her was gone, and in its place a masterpiece was slowly emerging. There were three huge mountains and a river at their base. Mist was rising from the water, and the tattoo artist was currently working on shading in a beautiful sunset behind and around the mountain peaks. There were several birds embedded into the design, the same birds that Grace and Logan had on their own bodies. Felicity had one of the same bird designs put on her arm as Bailey was being worked on. “How you doing?” Felicity asked her friend. “I’m good. Surprisingly, the shading doesn’t seem to hurt as much as the outlines of the mountains did.” “It’s going to be so amazing when it’s done, Bail,” Felicity told her friend. “Seriously.” Bailey picked up her head and propped her chin on her hands as she pierced Felicity with a look. “Thank you. Now tell me w
20. Chapter Thirteen Ryder stopped short in front of the table and gave a general chin lift to his buddies. He pulled Felicity to his side and wrapped an arm around her waist. He tugged her into him, and she stumbled, turning sideways to keep from falling, not that he would’ve let her. Her front was plastered to his side now, and he could feel her quick breaths on the skin of his neck. “Felicity, I’d like you to meet my friends.” He nodded at each man as he introduced them. “Gray, Meat, Arrow, Black, Ball, and Ro.” Each of the men in question smiled at Felicity and gave her a small chin lift. “Hi,” Felicity said softly. “It’s good to meet you all.” Then she looked up at Ryder. “Please tell me those aren’t their real names.” He chuckled. “No, love. But it’s what we call each other.” She scrunched up her nose and looked at Meat. “I don’t care what you and Ryder call each other, but I cannot call you Meat. I just can’t.” Meat snorted. “You can call me by my real name, Hunter.” She pantomimed
21. Chapter Fourteen He’d been wrong. Joseph Waters could ruin his good mood. Ryder had pulled around the back of the gym and parked next to Felicity’s PT Cruiser. The white envelope under her windshield wiper shone like a beacon. He managed to get out of his car and to the envelope before Felicity. He gingerly picked it up using a corner of his shirt so as not to disturb any trace evidence or fingerprints that might be on it, and peeked inside. His heart stopped beating for a moment, before starting up again twice as fast as before. The drive up from Colorado Springs had been intimate and pleasurable. Felicity had been relaxed and flirty. They’d talked about nothing deep for the entire trip. No talk of killing anyone. No talk of Joseph Waters or his father. She’d told him more stories about her mom, and he’d reciprocated. It was . . . normal. And he’d liked it. But now he was looking into an envelope at the contents he knew, knew, would upset Felicity. Possibly even make her revert back t
22. Chapter Fifteen Felicity stood at the back of her PT Cruiser with her hands on her hips. “Are you going over to . . . What’s wrong?” Ryder asked, coming up beside her. So yeah, on the relationship front, the last week had been amazing. Ryder had made love with her every night . . . and a couple of mornings as well. She’d never been with a lover as attentive as he was . . . or as inventive. Not only that, but he was considerate, affectionate, and respectful. Oh, he was also bossy, over-the-top security conscious, and possessive to boot, but she could overlook all his negatives because the good things about the man way outshone the bad. Like the way he always got her a glass of water right before they went to sleep, no matter how exhausted he was after they made love. Like the way he always grabbed her stuffed giraffe and gave it to her when he was done worshiping her body and they were ready to sleep. Like the way he called to make sure Cole was waiting for her in the workout room downs
23. Chapter Sixteen Felicity stomped her foot like a fifth grader. “Ryder, you have to go.” “No, I don’t.” “Dammit. Yes, you do.” “I’m not leaving you and the twins here by yourselves.” “We’re fine,” Felicity insisted. “Nothing’s happened in days.” “That doesn’t mean that Joseph is gone,” Ryder said. “I know that, but I’m not an idiot. I’m not going to step foot outside of this apartment while you’re gone. The babies are asleep in their cribs. It’s been a long day and I’m exhausted. I’m going to sit right here on the couch and watch TV until you get back.” Ryder leaned in, caging her body between his and the counter behind her. “I don’t like this.” She laughed a humorless laugh. “Neither do I. But Blake texted that he needs you, and now he won’t answer his phone, and I can’t get Alexis to answer hers either. Logan and Grace are up in Denver at that play, and Nathan and Bailey haven’t heard anything. You can’t ignore this.” She looked up at Ryder. He was stressed. It was clear as day on his
24. Chapter Seventeen Felicity heard low voices all around her. She was extremely groggy but forced her eyes open. She didn’t recognize where she was. The room was lit by light coming in from a half-opened door nearby, and she saw Ryder standing at the foot of the bed she was lying on, talking with Blake. “Ryder?” she said, although it came out more as a croak than an actual word. Within seconds, he was at her side. “Hey.” “Where are we?” He didn’t answer for a second, but then said, “The hospital.” Felicity crinkled her brow. The hospital? She couldn’t remember anything. “Are you all right?” His lips quirked, but he didn’t laugh. “I’m fine. We’re here because of you. Do you remember what happened last night?” She immediately shook her head, but asked, “Joseph?” The anger and frustration was easy to see in Ryder’s hazel eyes as he nodded. “Do you remember me getting a text from Blake?” Felicity frowned, but then nodded. “Yeah. You were worried about him.” She saw Blake shift next to her, b
25. Chapter Eighteen Ryder’s 370Z bounced on the dirt road. They’d turned off Route 6 onto the sad semblance of a road. He could feel the rocks scraping the underside of his sports car, but he didn’t even flinch. He could replace the car. All his focus was on the upcoming confrontation. His brothers were following right behind him in Logan’s truck. He didn’t know how Blake felt about being back where Alexis had almost died, but he honestly couldn’t even think about that right now. Obviously Joseph had done his research on the Andersons and had picked the location on purpose, to try to throw them off emotionally, but it wouldn’t work. Ryder knew his brothers well enough by now to know all their thoughts were on what might happen in the next few minutes. Nate’s life depended on them doing everything right. Ryder stopped at the end of the road and motioned for Felicity to climb over the console and get out on his side. He wasn’t going to chance that Joseph would change his mind and decide to
26. Chapter Nineteen It had taken quite a while to be allowed to leave the scene. Detective Baker wanted information about the kidnapping, and the Denver PD also had a ton of questions about Joseph and what had happened. Felicity didn’t blame them. Dead bodies weren’t exactly unheard of, but they also weren’t everyday occurrences either. The plan had been for Ryder to take Joseph out of the area before the police arrived at the rendezvous point. Ryder was going to take him down to Colorado Springs and to the rest of the Mountain Mercenaries. There, Joseph would’ve been interrogated, mostly by Black. The plan was that the brothers, and Felicity, were going to meet the officers and let them know that Joseph had run and that Ryder was hot on his trail. But that had all gone to shit, and now they had to explain the dead body. Logan, Blake, and Nathan let Ryder do the talking. They nodded in the appropriate places, and eventually the Denver PD detective allowed them all to go back to Castle Roc
27. Chapter Twenty Thousands of miles away, in a rundown and dangerous part of San Antonio, Maria Gonzalez sat in a tiny, cramped bedroom inside a small apartment. Her bedroom door was usually locked from the outside, but after Maldad had left, he hadn’t chained it closed behind him. The man who had made her life a living hell hadn’t ever told her his name, and Maria had begun to call him Maldad in her head after her first week in her prison apartment. Evil. It fit the man in every sense of the name. He’d left a thousand dollars along with his “present” and told her to go home. Home. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she’d left her hometown of Fresnillo in the Zacatecas state of Mexico, but she estimated at least five years. She’d been so stupid. Thought she knew everything there was to know about the world at eighteen. She was tired of looking after her younger brothers and sisters, not to mention her cousins, and had wanted more than working in the mines like her parents, aunts,
28. Epilogue “Are you sure you don’t mind sharing a wedding day with Blake and Alexis?” Ryder asked Felicity. She smiled and shook her head. He’d asked her many times over the past few months, and every time she’d given him the same answer. “Absolutely not. He’s your brother, and I love Alexis. Of course I don’t mind.” Felicity marveled at the close relationship Ryder had with Blake, thinking it somewhat ironic considering their rocky start. They’d even bought a house in the same neighborhood as Alexis and Blake. Felicity never spent another night in the apartment over the gym. She couldn’t. It held too many bad memories. Not only of being stalked by Joseph, but the horror she felt knowing Nate had been kidnapped from there right under her nose. She’d stayed with Ryder in an apartment he’d rented on a short-term basis until they’d completed the purchase of their new home. The proposal Ryder had teased her with came about a month after Nate was returned home. Ryder had taken her down to Col
29. Acknowledgments Thank you to Colleen for letting me name one of my characters after you . . . sorry about the whole killing-you-off thing. Ha! Thank you also to everyone who picked up the first book in this series—and kept reading. It’s been fun to write about a new group of men and how they find the women meant to be theirs. As you’ve probably guessed, the Mountain Mercenaries will get their own series. I want to thank Maria Gomez and everyone at Montlake Publishing for believing in me and always cheering me on. Because of their enthusiasm and support, all of you, my readers, will get more stories in the near future.
30. About the Author Photo © 2015 A&C Photography Susan Stoker is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who loves hot alpha heroes. She debuted her first series in 2014 and quickly followed it up with her SEAL of Protection series and her Ace Security series, which includes Claiming Bailey, Claiming Grace, and Claiming Alexis. She is addicted to writing and creating stories readers can lose themselves in. Susan considers herself an all-American girl with a heart as big as her home state of Texas. Thanks to her Army husband, she’s lived in several different states. Now that he’s retired, however, it’s his turn to follow Susan around the country. Discover more about Susan and her books through her website, www.StokerAces.com, or follow her on Twitter (@Susan_Stoker) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/authorsusanstoker).
31. Connect with Susan Online SUSAN’S FACEBOOK PROFILE AND PAGE www.facebook.com/authorsstoker www.facebook.com/authorsusanstoker FOLLOW SUSAN ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/Susan_Stoker FIND SUSAN’S BOOKS ON GOODREADS www.goodreads.com/SusanStoker E-MAIL [email protected] WEBSITE www.StokerAces.com