Friday, March 27, 2015

Pre Order Steele Justice Series by Kathi S Barton



Steele Bennett was born with a gift, but he sees it more as a curse―he can see and speak with spirits.
 And when he loses his twin sister at seventeen,
 he wants to turn his back on life―block his heart so that he never has to feel the sharp pain of loss again…

The small bar Kari Briggs runs is failing fast.
She hasn’t seen the owner in three months, past due notices are piling high, and her last paycheck bounced twice.
 And if she doesn’t pay the delivery guy soon, there’ll be no more supplies.

She has trouble enough controlling her cat, so the last thing she needs tonight is trouble.
But those guys at the bar won’t listen and take it outside.
 Deciding to take matters into her own hands,
she is shocked when a tall stranger grips her arms from behind and her cat wants to roll over and purr.


From the moment Steele touches her, she knows he’s her mate.
 And Steele thinks he can just get her out of his system with sex and a lot of it―he
 won’t mark her and she can’t mark him―no permanent attachments.
 But that’s not how it works with a shifter, she will die if her cat can’t get what she needs from him.
She will love him because she has no choice―he is her mate―but that is a secret she is willing to take to her grave…

Pre Order

AMAZON USA  http://www.amazon.com/Steele-Justice-Kathi-S-Barton-ebook/dp/B00UDNQ3K0/ref=sr_1_5_twi_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1426972664&sr=8-5&keywords=Kathi+S+Barton

AMAZON UK  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steele-Justice-Kathi-S-Barton-ebook/dp/B00UDNQ3K0/ref=sr_1_6_twi_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1426972725&sr=8-6&keywords=kATHI+s+bARTON

B&N  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/steele-kathi-s-barton/1121352923?ean=2940151487528&itm=61&usri=kathi+s+barton

SMASH WORD https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/525631

I TUNES https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/steele/id975197870?mt=11



Prologue
“I really wish you would just leave me alone.” Steele looked at his twin sister and growled low when she laughed at him. “There are times I wish I was an only child. You’re the most irritating thing I’ve never known. Don’t you have anything else to do?”
Her laughter almost made him smile. It was infectious like that. Instead, he turned his back on her. But he should have known it wouldn’t make her go away. When his bed shifted, he turned to see that she’d flopped down on it and had picked up his book. Snatching it away from her before she could see what it was, he watched her face for any clue that she’d be leaving anytime soon. Steele should have known better.
“I wasn’t going to tell.” He knew she wouldn’t. It was one thing to bother him, but she’d never get him into trouble. “Do you still see them all the time?”
“Yes.” He opened the book he’d had mailed to a post office box he’d opened just last month. His parents didn’t need to know that things were still bad for him. Not that either of them would give a crap anyway. In fact, just the opposite. “It says in here that I must have had a brain injury and that I only think I see them.”
Aster snorted. “Yeah, right. Like our parents didn’t think of that one when they were trying to make you not see them. How many doctors have you seen in your lifetime? Fifty? A hundred? You could see them since we were little kids. I don’t think that’s it. What other hogwash does it spout?”
He loved her…most of the time more than he did himself. She was witty and sarcastic, understanding and loving. She irritated him to the point that he wanted to murder her, but he would kill for her too. Instead of answering her, he told her once again to leave him alone. He glanced over in the corner at the woman sitting in his rocker, and she smiled a ghastly smile at him. Steele looked away. It wasn’t that he was afraid of her, but their appearance did frighten him.
Steele had been able to see ghosts since he was a baby, just as his sister had said. But she didn’t know it all. No one did. Not only had he talked to them, and played with the children who’d come to see him, but there was just so much more. They’d never hurt him but only talked to him and asked him to do things, things that helped them.
His mother was the first to figure out he had a “problem,” as she called it. He’d left the house in the middle of the night to help a spirit and she’d found out.

“What do you mean, you see the dead? No one sees the dead, Steele. Now stop this nonsense this minute and go to your room.” He’d told his mom when she asked him about what he’d been doing, thinking she’d help him with a particularly hard chore with one of his friends. But she’d been so mad that he’d been slightly afraid of her.
“They are real. And all I need you to do is drive me over to the hospital. I have to find out what this person died of.” She slapped him then, hard enough to throw him back on the floor. He remembered starting to stand and Aster stepping in front of him and daring their mom to hit him again. It wasn’t the first time she’d done that, but it was the first time she’d threatened their mother.

“You are not a nice person. He’s trying to help them. And if you hit him again, I’ll never do a thing for you again. No more dances; no more parties either.” His mother had asked him if Aster saw them too. “We’re not talking about me right now. This is about Steele and his need to get you to help him with this. Are you going to help him or not?”
“I most certainly am not. And if you mention this to me again, either of you, you will not have to worry about parties, young lady. I’ll take care that you never see the light of day again.”
They’d both been sent to their room, and when their father returned two days later they were beaten…him harder than Aster, but she’d been hurt more by the fact that no one believed him. So at the tender age of ten, they both decided to keep everything from their parents. And now, now they were seventeen and things had gotten…harder, he supposed.
“Where is he?” He looked at Aster sharply. “I know you’re helping someone. Where is he? Tell me where he is, or where she is, and I’ll leave you alone. I promise.”
“You’ll leave me alone now.” He stood up and shoved her off the bed. “Go away, Aster. I mean it. I’ve had enough of you driving me crazy. Don’t you think I have enough to deal with? I don’t need you pestering me to death too. Just fucking go away.”
He’d never cursed at her before…never had a reason to. But his client, as he’d begun to call them, had needed him for several days to do something and was keeping him up at night to get it done. When Aster stood up, he could see the tears in her eyes. She cried so seldom that he wanted to tell her that it was all right, that he needed her. But he was afraid. Not that she’d tell, never that, but that on this job, she’d get hurt. Doing what he was for this woman was going to be dangerous. He had no idea why he thought that, but he had a feeling deep in his body.
He thought for sure she was going to tell him off. One thing about Aster, she could peel your skin right off your body with just her words. Instead, she turned on her heel and left him standing there. His door slammed shut and vibrated one of his pictures off the wall, and he heard her stomping for several steps down the hall. Then she giggled and he knew she was skipping the rest of the way to her room. Steele looked over at the woman who still sat in his chair.

“Where are you taking me? I’ll go, but I want some answers first.” She stood up and pointed out the window. He knew that going with her was going to get him into trouble, but he wanted to finish this up so he could find Aster and tell her how sorry he was. “I’m doing this for you and you’ll leave me alone?”
Her nod scared him. Everything about her scared him. Whoever had killed her had really done a good job of it. Not a good choice of words, but they really worked her over. Her body was a mess, her face—he supposed she might have been a beauty—was nearly unrecognizable as it was beaten in on one side. Blood and brain matter seeped from the large hole just above her ear. Her jaw was broken, which was the reason she didn’t speak, and it hung limply at her neck. It, too, had been ravaged. Shivering once, Steele looked at the door his sister had gone out and wanted to go to her. But the client stepped in front of him.
Gathering up his pack, he climbed out the window just as she moved through it. It didn’t bother him any longer when they walked through doors or windows. It did, however, give him the willies when they walked through people. It was one of his rules. They were never to walk through him. If it happened, even accidently, he was finished. They left behind a scent and a creepy feeling when they did that.
The place where she was taking him was pretty far; they’d been walking for a good twenty minutes now, and she didn’t look as if she was going to slow. He was going to take his bike, an old motorcycle that he’d gotten really cheap last year when he’d turned sixteen. But he didn’t want his mother to hear him leave. Instead, he ran after her, trying his best to keep Aster out of his mind.
Aster was his best friend, best ally, and she was also the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She was special in that she didn’t care what she looked like either. Not like their mother, who thought it was a sin to not have your face on, whatever the hell that meant, before anyone saw you. And heaven forbid you went out into the yard with something less than a designer outfit on. Aster hated that about her as much as he did. And more often than not, Aster would be dressed in some of his toss offs rather than the things Mother picked out for her. He supposed she rebelled more than he did. Mother was forever telling them that with money came responsibilities. Neither Steele nor his sister seemed to be able to figure out what those were exactly.
They had money, or at least their parents did. His father was a surgeon of some renown. Mother was a chemist and had come up with several drugs that cured a great many things. He had no idea what they were, or even what sort of surgery his father did. It wasn’t that he didn’t care, he supposed, but they’d never had much to do with he or Aster, and they had grown used to them living their lives and he and Aster living theirs. They saw the staff more than they did their parents. But lately things had changed in that regard. He wasn’t sure what he thought about his mother retiring and his father taking less and less work at the hospital. Just the day before, their mother had started in on Aster about some things that neither of them had ever thought of.
“It’s high time you started finding a suitable husband.” He’d nearly choked on his soup when mother told Aster that. “And you, young man, will start to find a suitable wife too. One that your father and I will approve of, and not one of those people that you hang around with at that school of yours. We aren’t going to live forever, and we’re not leaving our money to the two of you and some deadbeat you find to shack up with.”
In her usual fashion, Aster snorted at her. “I don’t plan to ever marry, thanks. Having a man tell me what to do every ten seconds is for the birds.” Aster winked at him. “I think I’ll find me a lover and simply live off his money. Or find a job flipping burgers.”
Mother had hit Aster so hard she’d hit her head on the table as she fell from the chair. Blood poured from the wound and he was sure Mother had killed her. Instead of helping her up, or even seeing to her daughter, his mother stood over him with her hand drawn back. He’d never seen that particular look on her face before. It was something scary and insane.
“You have something flippant to say?” He shook his head. “See that you don’t. And starting on your eighteenth birthday, you’ll start doing what I tell you and not what you want. Don’t think I don’t know you sneak out of here every night. That, too, will stop.”
That had been three days ago, and here he was sneaking out again. When his client stopped by the fence that surrounded their property, he thought he was to jump over it. Instead, she pointed to the ground near him. Looking at the freshly turned soil then back at her, he shook his head.
“You can’t be buried here.” She nodded and pointed again. “I don’t believe it. There are security cameras everywhere. Had you been buried here, someone would have seen you when this happened.”
She pointed up behind him and he turned. There was a camera right there, but even he could tell that it had been disabled a long time ago. The thing was hanging limply on its holder, and the wires had been cut. Pulling out his camp shovel from his pack, he started to dig, but she stepped in front of him again. He asked her now what.
Moving over to something a little smaller, he noticed that the soil there was raw too. Taking a step back, he stared at it. He knew, just as surely as he was standing there, it was a child. When she pointed to it, then at her, Steele sat down on the hot grass and stared at her.
“Your child?” She nodded but didn’t move again. “Whoever killed you, they killed your child too? And then buried you both here? Am I going to regret this? Am I going to hate what I find here?”
Her nod had him looking at both graves. He had a feeling he knew who she was, and what terrified him the most was that he was pretty sure who had buried them both here as well. Steele felt a chill go over him, and he actually pulled his jacket tighter around him. Even with the sun beating down on him, he was cold.
A woman had come by the house several days ago with a little baby. He’d never actually spoken to her, but he’d gotten a glimpse of her when she asked to see his father. He’d looked at the little boy and wondered why she’d bring him to see his dad. Now he knew why her car had been parked in the back of the horse barn until today.
“Did he kill you?” He didn’t look at the client, not sure he wanted to really know the answer. “The baby, is it my father’s? And you came here to talk to him and he killed you both and buried you here?” This time he looked, and she was nodding. Every part of him wanted to run and hide. He wanted to find his father and demand that he tell him it wasn’t true. But Steele also knew, way down in his heart, that it was true. And not only that, but he had a feeling it had happened before. Was nearly certain of it.
“I think he’s…my father isn’t a nice man. He might have hurt someone before this. Murdered them, I mean. Another woman, but no child. My mother…she left him for a time before that and when she returned, they were very…I guess very secretive. He never…I think that he murdered this woman and has been searching for the child for a long time. I know that there was an investigator that came to the house nearly weekly for a while.” He looked up at the woman. “I’m so sorry. I know that doesn’t help you much, but I am.”
Her nod had him looking around the large yard. There were more here, more women that had come to see his father over the years. He didn’t want to think about what he might have done to put them there, how he had killed them, but Steele knew as surely as he was sitting there that there were dead bodies buried in that spot.
He didn’t dig at the grave like he normally would, but sat there until the cold seeped into his bones. Then before he could change his mind, he pulled out his cell phone and stared at it. It was time to make things right. Time to make his father—and more than likely his mother—pay. But who to call first? Dialing his father, he waited for his service to pick up. But as usual, all he got was his father’s voice mail, which really didn’t surprise him. His father hadn’t answered one of his calls since he’d gotten a phone.
“I found her. The woman and her child that are buried in the yard, I found them just now. And as much as you hate to hear this, she led me to where she was. I’m going to call the police as soon as I hang up from this call.” Steele took a deep breath and let it out slowly before continuing. “You killed them. I know you did. And it’s not the first time either.” Ending the call, he sat there for several seconds. Then he took a deep breath and dialed the police.
Within ten minutes, he was letting them in the gate. Steele knew his family well enough to know that they’d work very hard at covering this up. So while he’d been waiting on the locals to show up, he also called several news stations to let them know as well. Then he’d called the FBI.
The police were everywhere. His father wasn’t around and they had sent someone to the hospital to find him. His cell and his office phone were not being answered. One of the officers, a man who had been to their house several times, kept glaring at Steele, but he really didn’t care. It was done now and he would do it all over again if he had to. Steele was just leaving his sister another message when the FBI showed up. Then after that, things got really scary.
His mother was having a hysterical fit, screaming at the top of her lungs. And not at their father, oh no. At him, for calling the Feds. Apparently it was none of their business what happened on their property. The Feds, a man by the name of Ray Hancock in particular, was very interested in what happened on their property.
“Did you look in the grave before you called any of us in?” He told him he hadn’t. “And what led you out there? I’m going to tell you what I’ve heard before I let you answer that. Your mother said that you’ve been treated for mental illness, and that you more than likely killed her and will blame your father.”Even at seventeen, Steele knew that he was being given too much information. Instead of telling him anything, all he did was stare at the wall just behind the Federal agent. The man laughed a little and Steele finally looked at him.
“I didn’t kill her.” He nodded his head and said he hadn’t thought so. “I think you might find one more body out there. Another woman. Maybe two, but I don’t think there are any other children.”
Ray nodded but said nothing more as he wrote in his notebook. When he clicked his pen closed, he looked at Steele and leaned back in his chair. Steele braced himself for being told he was being arrested or worse yet, taken to the clinic again. The one where he’d spent a great deal of time after telling his parents what he could do.
“I know about you.” Steele started to stand. If this was going to be it, he had to at least try to get away. But Ray asked him to please stay. “I’m not going to hurt you. Or do whatever it is that is running through your head right now. But I heard that you talk to the dead. Help them. Was she someone that came to you for help?”
He didn’t answer him but apparently Ray didn’t require him to. As he sat there, he named two more people that Steele had helped. Steele never acknowledged him but knew both names. Fear made him squirm. Ray just nodded as if he knew the answer all along. That in and of itself made him think that things were about to get seriously bad.
“I have a deal for you when you’re old enough. A job.” Steele took the business card when Ray held it out to him before he could think he shouldn’t. “Call me when you hit eighteen and we’ll talk. But you have to know, this is not going to go well, for either of your parents. You know that, don’t you? I’m thinking your mother knew about this, and I’m willing to think you knew she did as well.”
“I’m sure she did. I never thought…it wasn’t anything I might have been able to ask them about.” Ray nodded and told him he’d get back to him in a few days. As he moved away, he turned back and looked at him when Steele said his name. “Will you find more, you think?”
“We’ve already found three more women and a child. The dogs are still looking as we speak.” With that, he walked away.
Steele made his way to his room. His sister was sitting on his bed. He was so relieved to see her that he nearly wept from it.
“Where have you been? I’ve been worried to death about you. Why didn’t you let me know you’d been back?” She smiled at him and he sat down on the rocker that had been occupied this morning by his client. “I’m really sorry about today. But did you see what’s going on downstairs? I think Mother and Father are going to jail for a very long time.” “I did. But I have to tell you something.” He started to tell her what Ray had said, but she continued. “I don’t want you to feel bad. It was all my fault. I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing.”
“What do you mean?” He started to stand up, but something held him back. “Aster? What’s going on? What was your fault?”
“I love you. Very much.” He nodded, suddenly afraid. “I don’t want you to think this was your fault. It wasn’t. I wasn’t even thinking of it when it happened.” Steele started to stand again, but he sat very still. His heart was pumping so hard he was sure anyone walking down the hall could have heard it.
“Aster? Please tell me what’s going on. I’m worried and scared.” But he knew. As surely as he was sitting there, he knew. But he couldn’t say it, couldn’t admit, not even to himself, what he knew. “Aster, this isn’t funny. What’s going on?”“I was watching the little baby in the stroller. And you know how much I love babies. But she and her mother were crossing the street and the baby had dropped her dolly. I didn’t think before I acted.” He told her she never did and she smiled at him again. “No, I rarely did. I just stepped off the sidewalk and it was over as soon as I did.”
Dead. Dead. Dead. His sister was dead. Steele felt the tears fall. His heart that had been pounding so hard before suddenly stopped. Dead. Dead. Dead. His wonderful sister, so full of life, was dead.
“No. Please no.” She moved to stand in front of him and he could see it then. Everything that had happened to her. All of it. “Aster. I’m so sorry. I should have let you go with me. I shouldn’t have told you to go away. Please forgive me. Please?”
Her body was bloodied; some of the wounds still seeped blood. Her face, so lovely when she’d left him, now bore the marks of being dragged over concrete. The entire left side of Aster’s face was smashed, her mouth nearly ripped open to her ear. Her left arm was broken and hung limply at her side. Her shorts and shirt were torn as well, and showed more abrasions to her delicate skin. He looked down her legs, so long and muscled before, but now she was missing her left leg from the knee down; her other leg was broken and twisted in a manner that hurt him to see.
“Don’t blame yourself, Steele. It was my fault. I only came back to tell you that it was all me and to beg you not to take on the blame. You will, I know you will, no matter what I say to you, but I had to come back and try. You’ll think that I was hurt and was too distracted to see what was going on. But that’s not what happened. I was happy. I wasn’t paying attention.” The tears streamed down his face. “Don’t cry. Please don’t cry. I don’t hurt. I swear it. It’s over and I don’t hurt.”
“I need you. I need you in my life. You’re all I have. You’re all I will ever have.” She moved to the bed and when she sat down, he could see that she’d made no dent in his covers, no shift in his book still lying there, because as much as he wanted her there, she was gone from the body that had held her for her entire life. There was nothing of her here. Nothing. Because she wasn’t really here. “Aster. What am I supposed to do now?”
“What you’ve been doing all along. Help people like us.” He shook his head. “You have to, Steele. You have to…I can see them now. All of them. There are so many needing you. And there are others like you. A great many of them. You have to help them too. You’re so much stronger than anyone out there trying to help the dead.”
“No. Without you…you can’t leave me.” She smiled sadly at him, and he felt as if his entire being wanted to find a way to join her. His mind seemed to simply shut down. “I don’t want you to go. Please, don’t leave me.” “Steele.” She sat there for a long time, simply staring at him. He took in everything about her…all her wounds and her pain as they faded from her so that she looked so much like the girl from this morning. His little sister. Steele wanted to join her; go out into the garage, pull down the gun he knew was there, and simply join her. But he knew that he couldn’t. Not like that.
“Don’t leave me. Father killed someone. Mother is mad because I called the police. And when he’s gone, I’ll be here with her all by myself.” Still she sat there and he continued trying to convince her. “The guy, Ray Hancock, he said that she might have known about the death. They found four more bodies. If she goes to prison with him, then I’ll be all alone.”
It was selfish. He knew it, and he was pretty sure she knew it too. But when she stood up, he could see her resolve, see that she’d come to a decision and he wasn’t going to like it. So he stood as well, stood as close to her as he could without touching her.
“You know that I can’t stay here. You know that as well as any one of the people you help.” He nodded and sobbed. His sister, his wonderfully amazing sister, was going to leave him. “I want to give you something. I need to tell you something as well. It’s…I could see them too. The people. I could see them too but never helped. I couldn’t help them like you did. I was too afraid of what Mother and Father would do to me. But the others, the dead, they’ve asked me to give you a gift and to tell you why you can see them. All right?”
“Yes. No. Please, I don’t want anything from them. I want you to…I know you can’t. I know that, but I will miss you so much.” She nodded and put out her hand. “I love you, Aster. I will love you for the rest of my life.”
“I will you as well, brother dear.” Her fingers moved over his chest and then into his heart. As soon as she touched him there, he felt so much move from her to him. It was almost too much, and when he put out his hand to pull her away, he touched her and looked into her face.
Everything became clear. All his life he had wondered what had happened, and now he knew. He also knew that his sister was right. She had been able to see the dead, had been able to talk to them as well. But unlike him, she’d been able to ignore it, something he wished now he’d worked harder at. When she started to fade, her body the shape of perfection again, he touched her again and closed his eyes. Steele saw in her eyes things he’d never seen there before.
“You’ll be so happy someday.” He shook his head at her whispered words. “You will. And when you are, I’ll rest easy. I’ll even come to see you again if I can. But you have to promise to help them. All right?”
“I wish you would stay with me.” He watched her fade more. “I love you, Aster, and always will.”
“I love you as well. I need for you to close your eyes now. Dream of all that will come to pass. Dream of the things that you will be able to do now, so much more than before.” He nodded, his body becoming heavier with her words. “You will dream of them now, Steele, all of the hurt ones, you’ll dream of them.”
Then she was gone. Steele dropped to the floor and leaned forward. Blood pooled beneath him, and it was all he could do not to fall face first into it. When someone knocked at his door, it took him three tries before he could get his mouth to work around the words to have them come in. As soon as the door opened, he was lifted up and laid on his bed. Steele looked up into the eyes of Ray and knew he was like him. As he lay there on his bed, sobbing for all that he’d lost in so short of a time, Ray sat beside him quietly and watched over him. When he felt as if he could function again, even if it was without a heart, he turned to look at the big man who had been more compassionate to him in the last hour than either of his parents had been to him his entire life.
“You contacted your father? Left him a message on what you did?” Steele started to nod, but the movement made his belly sick. “He got the message. I’m sorry to tell you this, son, but he’s dead. Killed himself not long after the call, we’re thinking. It’s just as well. I’m thinking he wouldn’t have lasted long in prison.” Steele nodded. His father, a great man to all that knew him outside the family, was dead. And all Steele could think about was good riddance.
“My mother know?” Ray nodded, then shook his head. “I don’t understand. Does she know or not?”
“She does. About the bodies as well as your father being dead. And there’s more. I’m sorry, but—”
“Aster is dead too.” He didn’t look surprised but only nodded. “She told me not to worry about her. That it was her fault. She stepped in front of a car or something and she was killed. There was a baby that she was with when it happened. She told me she was happy at the time.”
It was the first time he’d admitted to anyone but family what he could do. Ray didn’t tell him he was nuts, didn’t tell him he was lying. What would be the point in that? The man probably knew more about clients than he did.
“A semi. And she didn’t suffer any.” He nodded. She’d told him that as well. “I’m sorry, son. I’m sorrier than I can ever tell you.”
Steele nodded and rolled to his side away from the man. His entire life was ruined. Everything, all the people in his life, were going to leave him because of this curse. When someone stepped in front of him, another ghost, he closed his eyes. He was never going to help them again. Not ever.
Steele Bennett was going to go on with his life as if none of them existed. As of right now, he was out of the ghost helping business. He knew as surely as he was laying there that the chances of this really happening were slim to none. He’d made a promise and for his sister, he would have to keep it.


Stop By to enter contest on my fan page 



 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=151763651541724



NEXT  RELEASE coming  April 17th 2015






Saturday, March 21, 2015

CHAPTER CHAPTER FORTY is ready to read !!!!!!!!!!

CHAPTER FORTY
“If he comes to the phone again, I swear I’ll hang up and won’t call back
again. I’m out of change anyway, and phone numbers to call,” Morgan told
Byron. She should have just called him in the first place. But her first thought had
been Nickolas.
“She said that if Nicky comes to the phone again, she’ll stay where she is and
have the babies on the street corner,” she heard him tell the room.
“I did not! Are you trying to cause trouble? You are, aren’t you? Good then.
Is Mrs. Puck all right? I just heard about it on the news. Who did this, Mr.
Grant?”
Morgan had been coming out of the bathroom when there was a news flash
on the television. It had said they were looking for a man who had broken into
her home and that she was missing. All she’d been able to think about was poor
Nickolas. Well, she thought, that was stupid on her part. All he’d done was yell
at her.
“Yes, love, she’ll be fine. Her leg is broken and she’s been sedated. She hasn’t
regained conciseness, but Damon said that’s to be expected. You’d better tell me
where you are before Nicky breaks my neck.” Morgan burst into tears. She’d
been doing that a lot lately and it was getting worse all the time. The stupidest
things would set her off.
“I’m in Mansfield on a job site. I wanted to get the pictures before Dr. Grant
won’t let me travel anymore. I have a job doing a site for the Mansfield Prison.
Isn’t that wonderful? The only bus I could get back to Columbus is a milk run,
some man called it, and we’ve stopped in every little town between here and
there.” She waited while he relayed the information, this time telling them what
she said. Morgan felt silly crying and was glad Byron hadn’t commented on it.
“Nick would like to know if you need someone to come and get you? He
said that he could be there in an hour.”
Alone in a car with Nickolas for an hour. No, and hell no. “No, I’ll be nearly
there by the time he gets here anyway. I’m tired and my back hurts. I just want to
come home. I should be there by eight or eight-thirty. Tell everyone to go home
and I’ll call them tomorrow. I’d better hang up. I only have thirty-three cents left
in change and that’s not enough for another minute anyway. So, good-bye.” And
she hung up just as the recording was telling her to deposit another seventy-five
cents to continue her call.
Morgan went to the little shop just inside the bus terminal and bought
herself a juice and a candy bar. Just as she was leaving, she went back and
purchased two more candy bars. She was starving and knew she had at least
another hour and a half before she could fix herself anything to eat.
Getting on the bus wasn’t easy. The steps were very high off the ground and
she was so rotund. Once she settled back against the seat, she thought about her
day.
Earlier, she’d met with Libby and finalized the paperwork concerning the
money that was to be given to her when Nick’s sons were born. There was also
the house and the car. Everything would be in their names, once Nickolas named
them. She hadn’t wanted any of it in the first place, so giving it to her children—
no, Nick’s children, she amended—was easy. As soon as the million dollars was
deposited, it went directly into another account for them as well.
Libby didn’t argue with her about it. Morgan fully expected her to. She’d
even made a few suggestions on what to do about the car. But she felt that as
she’d never driven it, Nickolas should be the one who disposed of it.
There was also the file of pictures she’d made for Byron. They were pictures
of her in different stages of her pregnancy. Byron had taken most of them, but a
few she had taken with the tripod as well. She’d written him a long letter about
why she’d given him the file. If the boys ever asked about her, would he please
show them how happy she’d been to be pregnant with them? And that her
leaving them had nothing to do with them. It was all her fault that she couldn’t
make her marriage work with their dad. That their dad was a wonderful man
and loved them very much.
The bus pulled onto the highway about ten minutes later and the gentle
sway and the soft moonlight shining in the window soon lulled her to sleep.
~~~
The big Greyhound pulled into the bus station at eight forty-five. Nick
watched every person who got off the bus, waiting for Morgan. He’d done a lot
of thinking since she’d called and she’d been right to hang up on him.
Nick thought about every time they’d been together and how very little they
had talked. She would say something, and he’d bark at her. She’d ask a question,
and he’d snarl at her. No wonder she avoided him as much as possible. He
would too if he could.
When no one else seemed to be getting off the bus, he looked around the
terminal. He didn’t think he’d missed her, but she might have seen him first and
darted away. If she could even dart anymore. Christ, she had been so big when
he’d seen her last. He was just about to go look for her in the bathroom when the
driver motioned for him. He walked over to the man and shook his hand.
“You looking for a woman, boy?” He’d not been called boy since he’d been a
teenager.
“I don’t need a woman, mister. I’ve got a wife. You shouldn’t be selling
women either. It’s degrading and against the law.” He started to walk away, but
the man’s next statement stopped him.
“I gots me a pregnant woman on this here bus who ain’t woked up yet. I was
wondering if’n you was awaitin’ on her. Pretty little thing too. Looks ready to
about pop if’n you asked me.”
“Morgan’s asleep. Yes, she’s my...is she all right?” He moved past the man
and onto the bus. He couldn’t see her, so he turned back to the driver.
“’Bout half way back on the left. Be careful of her; she’s been alying like that
since we tooked off. She’ll be all kinked up.”
Nick went slowly to where he had indicated and found her just where he
said she’d be. He kneeled down and looked at her breathing softly all rolled up
in a ball. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her brow and she turned to
look at him.
“Oh, Nickolas, I was having the most wonderful dream about us,” she said
dreamily. She started to move tighter into a ball and sighed heavily. “It’s too bad
it wasn’t true. I love you so much.” And she was asleep again.
Nick stopped breathing as he fell back against the floor of the bus. He
felt...well, he knew what the term pole axed meant now. Morgan loved him.
Nick looked over as the driver came back to them. He couldn’t think past her
words. It was perhaps a few seconds before he realized the man was speaking
again.
“...that way you won’t have to carry her out to the parking lot. He said to just
pull up out front of the terminal and he’ll wave you through.”
Nick was supposed to pull up out front. Then what? he thought. “I’m sorry,
I...what did you say?” He wanted to shout, “she loves me!” but didn’t think the
man would understand.
“Hee hee, you love on that girl right and she won’t be moving off again.
Nah, she didn’t tell me nothing, but I got eyes. I seen the way you looked at her.
Go on now, get your car. I’ll wait right cheer with her.”
Nick didn’t know how he got to his car, or how he was able to get around to
the bus again, but was suddenly there again. True to his word, the driver stayed
with her until he returned.
Nick gently picked Morgan up and lifted her to his chest. She was heavier
than he’d remembered, then realized that the only time he’d had her in his arms
was when she was in pain or hurt. She didn’t stir much when he got her out of
the seat and only moaned slightly when he put her into the passenger seat of the
SUV. He was nearly halfway home when he realized he hadn’t thanked the man
for his help.
Nick took her to his apartment because the police wouldn’t let them fix the
door until they were finished with it. Parking in the garage was tricky because
his parking place had a wall next to it on the opposite side and he couldn’t get
her out without banging her around. He ended up having the front desk move
his car around to the garage while he brought her up through the front doors.
Once he got upstairs, thanking everyone he could that he lived in the penthouse
and keys weren’t necessary to open his door, he took Morgan directly to his bed
and laid her down on it. As gently as he could, he removed her shoes and socks.
He debated on the rest of her clothes, but she’d be waking up in a strange room
and he didn’t want to frighten her anymore than necessary.
After he got her settled, he went into his living room and collapsed in his
favorite chair. Morgan Grant, his wife, mother of his children, loved him. He
knew he was grinning like a loon, but couldn’t seem to help it.
The next thought sobered him up quickly. But how do I feel about her? Did he
love her? He honestly didn’t know.
Nick certainly lusted after her. Even as big and full as she was right now, he
wanted her. But did he want to spend the rest of his life with her? Did his
feelings for her make him want to wake up next to her every morning, go to bed
with her every night? Did he want to spend time with her above all else?
Sometimes, he thought. Other times, not so much. But she made him laugh. The
unexpected bursts of laughter that surprised him when he did it. Did he love
Morgan Grant? He didn’t know.
Nick called his mom to tell her that he’d picked up Morgan at the terminal,
and that she was with him.
“Nick, darling, try not to piss her off tonight. She’s had a terrible day and she
probably needs her rest. Why don’t you sleep on the ugly couch of yours until
tomorrow? That way you won’t wake her and start anything this late.”
“Good night, Mother. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He was still grinning when
he went into his room to check on her.
Morgan hadn’t moved. He started taking off his tie as he looked down at her
in wonder. She was very beautiful. He pulled his shirt from his pants and
unbuckled his belt. Toeing off his shoes, he thought about the children she
carried and wondered if they’d look like her. He hoped that one of them would
get her eye color. The sheer blue would be breathtaking on a young man as it
was on his mother.
Nick sat down on the bed as he pulled his trousers off. As he tossed them
across the room, he wondered if she would be hungry when she woke up.
Damon had told him that she was having late pregnancy morning sickness. As
he pulled the blanket out from under him and lay down, he thought he’d have to
get up early enough to go get some things for breakfast for them. Maybe a few
weeks worth of groceries because she wasn’t staying in that house alone. He
closed his eyes and pulled her lax body next to his. No, he thought. She wasn’t
staying anywhere alone again.


Tune in next week for  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE



Buy Link for the Box set  grab for 9.99 



Buy links

THE GRANT BROTHERS -
2 DEVIN – http://smarturl.it/devin  
4 BYRON – http://smarturl.it/byron  
5 JAMIE – http://smarturl.it/jamie  


The grant brothers series in reading order 



         

                   

                         



New Release 


Micah Bentley is a third generation cop and a panther. 
He always wanted to be a homicide detective like his dad, but kept getting passed up for the job 
because he was too good at what he currently did working the beat.
 Micah has a gift, he can read people’s minds.
 Such a gift could be a help and a hindrance on a job. 
He could pluck the information he needs right out of someone’s mind, but knowing 
they’re guilty and proving it are two different things.
 But when his dad is killed off duty it has him rethinking his career choice. 

Regina Webster, Reggie to her friends, is just trying to make ends meet
 by working three jobs to keep her head above water, and also take care of her invalid brother.
 She doesn’t have time for socializing with bossy men like Micah Bentley 
who butt into her life making everything concerning her his business. 
She doesn’t know anything about this mate thing he keeps spouting off about,
 she just wants him to leave her alone. 

Due to a random act of violence, she finds herself suddenly homeless:
 no home, no money, no car and suffering from a gunshot wound to boot.
 Reggie has no choice but to accept a helping hand from the Bentleys at―least until she can get back on her feet. 

Trouble has Reggie marked, and this time they take Micah’s mom too.
 Micah knows they’re in trouble, but when the bad guys don’t go where they’re expected it’s a race against the clock… 




Watch The Book  Trailer 



Happy Reading 

Kathi  S Barton 














 




Friday, March 13, 2015

Micah Release Day 3/13/15



Micah Bentley is a third generation cop and a panther. He always wanted to be a homicide detective like his dad, but kept getting passed up for the job because he was too good at what he currently did working the beat. Micah has a gift, he can read people’s minds. Such a gift could be a help and a hindrance on a job. He could pluck the information he needs right out of someone’s mind, but knowing they’re guilty and proving it are two different things. But when his dad is killed off duty it has him rethinking his career choice.

Regina Webster, Reggie to her friends, is just trying to make ends meet by working three jobs to keep her head above water, and also take care of her invalid brother. She doesn’t have time for socializing with bossy men like Micah Bentley who butt into her life making everything concerning her his business. She doesn’t know anything about this mate thing he keeps spouting off about, she just wants him to leave her alone.

Due to a random act of violence, she finds herself suddenly homeless: no home, no money, no car and suffering from a gunshot wound to boot. Reggie has no choice but to accept a helping hand from the Bentleys at?least until she can get back on her feet.

Trouble has Reggie marked, and this time they take Micah’s mom too. Micah knows they’re in trouble, but when the bad guys don’t go where they’re expected it’s a race against the clock…

Buy Links 












Coming April 3rd 


Steele Bennett was born with a gift, but he sees it more as a curse―he can see and speak with spirits. And when he loses his twin sister at seventeen, he wants to turn his back on life―block his heart so that he never has to feel the sharp pain of loss again…
The small bar Kari Briggs runs is failing fast. She hasn’t seen the owner in three months, past due notices are piling high, and her last paycheck bounced twice. And if she doesn’t pay the delivery guy soon, there’ll be no more supplies.
She has trouble enough controlling her cat, so the last thing she needs tonight is trouble. But those guys at the bar won’t listen and take it outside. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she is shocked when a tall stranger grips her arms from behind and her cat wants to roll over and purr.
From the moment Steele touches her, she knows he’s her mate. And Steele thinks he can just get her out of his system with sex and a lot of it―he won’t mark her and she can’t mark him―no permanent attachments. But that’s not how it works with a shifter, she will die if her cat can’t get what she needs from him. She will love him because she has no choice―he is her mate―but that is a secret she is willing to take to her grave…


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UDNQ3K0

                                                          Kathi S Barton 








Saturday, March 7, 2015

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE is ready to read !!!!!!!!!!

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
By the end of June, Morgan was miserable. Her ankles were swollen to twice
their normal size. Her body ached in places she’d never hurt in before and she
was lonely. The only person she’d spoken to verbally was Mrs. Puck, the live in
nurse. And Damon once a month. When the phone rang, she didn’t even bother
picking it up. She no longer checked the mail, nor did she bother with the door
bell. Nothing came for her, no one called for her, and no one came to visit. She
did, however, answer her emails.
Byron, true to his word, told everyone about her business, Pink Bag
Creations. She had more offers than she had time to do. Of course, she didn’t
turn them down, but worked on every one of them, banking the money in a
separate account every time someone paid their bill.
It amazed her how much the bank wanted to help her now that her name
was Grant. Before, she was ready to beg them to open an account and now she
had two checking accounts, one that Devin had set up and one that she used
with her own money. And she had a savings account where she was saving
money to live on once she left the area after the babies were born, knowing that
there wasn’t any way she could stay close and not see them.
“Mrs. Grant, the doctor’s office called. Dr. Grant wants you to come in in the
morning and have an ultrasound done. I’m to tell you that your husband will
also be there.” Flipping great, she thought.
Morgan had asked her not to call her Mrs. Grant several times and had
simply given up. Morgan thought she’d been told to do it.
“All right, just please have him make the appointment for as close to noon as
possible, please.” She was having horrific morning sickness in her last trimester.
Damon had told her it was normal, but not to let it get too bad. If she threw up
more than twice a morning, she was to call him immediately. She hadn’t had to
yet.
Morgan went into the big bright kitchen and opened the fridge. She needed
to make herself some dinner.
Mrs. Puck had been surprised when Morgan started cooking for herself as
soon as she moved in a month ago. Morgan thought about the look of pure
horror on the woman’s face when she’d seen what Morgan was going to eat that
first day.
It had been late in the afternoon and she was tired from the ride and just
wanted to lie down again. She’d pulled a box of cereal out of the cabinet and
made herself a large bowl of cornflakes.
“I was to cook you some dinner, Mrs. Grant. I’m sure I can do better than
cold cereal. What would you like?” she’d asked her.
“This is fine. And you won’t be cooking for me either. You’re here as a nurse
and not a maid. If you want something and I’m cooking, fine, I’ll throw extra in,
but in no way are you fixing me a meal. Understand? You are also not to do my
laundry, clean this house, or do any outside yard work. This house belongs to me
and I’ll be responsible for it,” Morgan told her.
“But Dr. Grant said I was to—”
“Dr. Grant doesn’t live here. I do, and so do you as long as you abide by my
rules of the house,” Morgan said firmly.
“I’ll have to clear this with Devin Grant. I’m sure that he is the one who set
this up. You can bet he’ll be none too happy about your arrangements.” Good to
know, she thought as Mrs. Puck stormed out of the kitchen.
After Morgan was finished eating and washing up the dishes, Mrs. Puck
came in to say Devin Grant was on the phone for her.
“Morgan here, may I help you?” She couldn’t bring herself to say her name
was Morgan Grant. She wouldn’t be keeping it after the babies anyway, so why
get used to it?
“Giving him a run for his money is one thing; being stupid is quite another.”
She simply hung up on Devin and walked into the bedroom she was using. Ten
minutes, later Mrs. Puck told her Devin was on the phone again.
“Morgan Grant, I am not my brother and won’t—”
This time, she was in the bath tub when he called back.
“Okay, let’s start over. I want to know about this arrangement you have with
Mrs. Puck, please. She said that you only use her for medical reasons and won’t
let her do the things she was hired to do.” His voice was a little hard, but at least
he wasn’t yelling at her.
“Was she hired as my maid, or was she hired as a live in nurse? Because, Mr.
Grant, as you are well aware, I didn’t agree to the first part.”
“She was hired as both. She was told that she would do a little light cleaning
and cooking in addition to making sure your...that you... She was hired primarily
as a nurse.”
She had to smile at his fluster. “You mean she’s here to make sure that I
don’t harm the Grant twins? Then that’s all she’ll do. Is there anything else that
you’d like to get cleared up while I’m still speaking to you?” He burst out
laughing. Good, she thought, keep them guessing.
“No, Morgan, nothing else. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call
me.”
Mrs. Puck pulled her from her musing when she cleared her throat. She
looked at the woman and smiled. Mrs. Puck didn’t approve of her, not her
relationship with her “husband,” or the way she ran the house, but she did
respect her position. Morgan sat up a little straighter on the sofa and looked at
her. Her feet hurt so bad that she didn’t take them off the coffee table just yet.
“He said to tell you the best he could do was nine-thirty and the fridge is
dead. It started making the funky noise again this morning, and it stopped. Now,
it’s not doing anything. The light won’t even come on.”
“All right, I’ll call and have it replaced. Thanks for telling me. Aren’t you
supposed to be off tonight?” She and Morgan had come to an arrangement of
sorts. Every other Thursday night, she would go out for the evening and Morgan
wouldn’t do anything too stupid.
“Just leaving. Want me to call Mr. Grant for you before I leave?” Yes, she
did, but she knew that she should do it on her own.
“I’ll do it, have fun.” Morgan went to the kitchen and called the office of
Grant, Attorney at Law while she looked in the fridge. Yep, dead as dead can be.
“Hi, this is Morgan. Could you please let Mr. Grant know that I’ve replaced
the refrigerator and need to know what he wants done with the old one? He can
call me back at his convenience.”
“Mrs. Grant, he’s free. Would you like to speak to him directly? If you
wouldn’t mind holding for a minute, I’ll put you through.” And before she could
tell her no, she was being transferred. She actually thought about hanging up,
and just before she did, he came on the line.
“Hello, Morgan? So the refrigerator died, huh? You have an account. Just
order it and have the bill sent to the office here,” he said to her in way of
greeting.
“No. She didn’t have to put me through. You told me to inform you when an
appliance went bad. I have. So, I’ll...good-bye, Mr. Grant.” The phone was nearly
to the hook when he yelled at her to stop.
“Morgan. My name is Devin. Please stop calling me Mr. Grant. I’m your
brother-in-law, not some stranger.”
Morgan leaned her head against the cabinet above her head. They were all
strangers to her. She didn’t want to be their friend, because it would hurt less
when she stepped out of their brother’s life.
“Morgan? Are you there?”
She wiped furiously at the tears. It seemed as though every little thing set her
off nowadays. His voice was gentle and caring.
“Yes. I have an appointment soon. I have to...just email me with the place to
have the dead refrigerator taken. I...good-bye.” And she hung up before he could
say anything else.
Twenty minutes later, she had a cheap replacement being delivered
tomorrow. And they had agreed to take the old one and set it in the garage for
her. Life was suddenly all right.
She was running late. Something she detested more than anything else. But
she’d had a slight accident with her blouse and she’d had to change. She didn’t
think puke down the front of her would leave a good impression on her
“husband.” The taxi driver had been sweet; he’d even kept the car running so it
would be cool when she came back out to get in.
By the time she’d paid him and was headed up in the elevator, she was thirty
minutes late and had to be sick again. It was all the rushing around, she thought,
and being off her schedule. Hurrying into the office, the nurse took one look at
her and rushed her past the other patients and right to the employee bathroom.
She didn’t have anything left in her belly so all she was doing was heaving
when someone knocked on the door.
“Morgan, it’s Nickolas, let me in.” Great, just frigging great. She’d not seen
him in five weeks and now that she was sicking up her breakfast, he wanted to
chat.
“I’m a little busy right now. How about we meet later when I’m not quite so
preoccupied?” Reaching over to the little sink, she turned the water on full blast.
That did help with drowning him out, but now she had to pee. Again.
Nick was standing on the other side of the door when she opened it five
minutes later. She supposed it was too much to ask that he go sit in the waiting
room. Ignoring him as best she could, she went to the front desk and asked
Tansy where they wanted her.
“I would like a word with you, if you don’t mind? You look like hell. And I
want to know why you aren’t returning my calls.”
“I do mind. I don’t want to speak to you. But I will answer you. If I look like
hell, it’s none of your business. It has no direct correlation to the babies, so it’s
not anything to you. As for calling you back, you can ask me questions through
my lawyer. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m tired and hot and I want to sit down.”
She brushed past him and into the room that she was to be examined in.
Morgan had just put the paper gown on when Damon and Nick came in the
room after a brief knock. Damon was smiling and Nick looked ready to bite a
nail in two.
“Morgan, how are you doing? Need help getting up on the table?”
Damon always asked her the same thing, and she never answered. It was
getting harder to “hop” up on the table, but she just managed it. Pulling the sheet
across her waist, she watched as he measured her from groin to the top of her
mound. Laying down like this, she felt like Mount Everest. Probably looked like
it too. He measured, took notes, and made funny noises in the back of his throat.
Nick watched everything he did like there was going to be an exam later and he
didn’t want to fail.
“You’ve gained six pounds this month. Not bad, not bad. I want to start
having you come in weekly now. You’re due date will change because of you
carrying twins. I’d like to say you’ll deliver around the tenth or eleventh of
August. But as stubborn as you are, I’ve no doubt those boys will be too, so we’ll
shoot for then. I don’t want you to go much past that because of your size and
theirs. I’d also like you to curtail your standing time. How long would you say
you’re on your feet now?”
“I guess about ten hours at day. Sometimes more, but not much,” she told
him.
“Why are you on your feet so much? You should be sitting down or lying
down as much as possible with your feet up above your heart,” Nick interjected.
They both ignored him.
“I’d like you to try to get that number down to half. Your due date is in less
than six weeks, so I’d also like for you to carry a cell phone or be with someone
whenever you’re over a mile from home. I don’t think anything will happen, but
with twins, it’s hard to know. Okay, Tansy will come in and help you to x-ray
and we’ll do that today. I’m a little concerned about the swelling, but we’ll
discuss that later.”
She could hear Nick saying something to his brother as the door shut, but
she wasn’t really paying attention. Less than six weeks to go.
Tansy came in a few minutes later with a smile and a Snickers. Morgan
nearly wept with happiness. It had become a ritual with them. She would get
weighed and examined; Tansy would slip her a candy bar. This time, the
chocolate was like ambrosia to her. Her stomach was empty and Nick was here.
Morgan waddled down the hall clutching her sheet around her like a toga.
Her last two bites of her candy bar were the closest thing to happiness she’d had
in a while. Nick popped out of the door just in front of her and nearly knocked
her over. As he made a grab for her, the sheet slipped and he got a handful of her
breast. Her very full, very tender breast. She moaned before she could stop
herself.
Without waiting for the sheet to be pulled all the way back in place, she
darted around him and into the room. She’d never been so mortified in her life.
The rest of her doctor’s appointment was made in silence. Neither of them
spoke to each other nor to Damon. When Morgan went to the front desk to make
her next appointment Nick, was going in Damon’s office.
“Morgan, are you okay? You seem...I don’t know, distracted,” the nurse
making her next appointment asked.
Well, duh, she wanted to snap at her, but only nodded and left. She was
married to a man who despised her, having his twin sons, living in his house,
and had six weeks left in the only home she’d ever known. Nope, not distracted
at all.
“Should she be that puffy?” Nick asked his brother as soon as the door shut
to his office.
“Puffy? I don’t know what you’re referring to. Her ankles are swollen
because she’s carrying around extra weight and it’s hot. The babies are fine. I
don’t see any problems with the delivery. Boy one is head down and in a good
position. Boy two is up, but that’s nothing to be concerned about. He can flip or
not.”
“Is she going to be all right?” Damon looked at him for a long time. Nick had
seen her belly—it was hard to miss—during the ultrasound. She was so big.
“The babies are fine, Nick. She hasn’t done anything to harm your sons.”
He wanted to scream. No one would give him any information about her.
Not even her nurse and he was paying.
Nick left the office a short time later. He was no closer to knowing if she was
going to be all right than he had before. She was his wife, for Christ’s sake, and
not one person would tell him anything about her. He glanced up in time to see
someone who looked like her get into a cab. A cab. Why would she…? It would
be just like her to not use the car he’d given her. Damned girl probably sold it.
A week later, he was back in his office and in a foul mood. He noticed that
his receptionist was out to lunch. He thought she was out to lunch even when
she was there, but he’d not replaced her yet. He’d been busy.
Nick picked up the phone to call Devin just as he walked in his office. He
had Byron with him.
“Hi, did you know that your receptionist is a moron? I called up here earlier
this morning to speak to you and she didn’t have a first clue as to who I was
asking about. I think you should fire her and find someone else. Soon.” Devin
plopped down in his chair.
“Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. Want to go and get some lunch?
I’m starved and I need a break.” It was nearly one now, and he knew he was free
the rest of the afternoon.
“Yeah, but I gotta...why don’t I meet you there? I have something I have to
do later and it’ll be easier if I drive my own car.” Devin was hiding something.
He’d always been bad at lying, which was the same as evading.
“Nah, we can go together. I’ll wait for you while you take care of business.
It’s getting later all the time,” he told him.
“Nicky, I have to go see Morgan. Something happened to the fridge last
week and I didn’t get a bill yet. She said she had to replace it and I wanted to
make sure she’s had one delivered. It’ll be much smoother if you don’t go.” Well,
why don’t you just be a little more blunt? he thought.
“You talk to her? How often? And what do you mean you haven’t received a
bill? There’s money enough on the credit card I set up for her; have her use it.
That would generate a receipt you can use, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, there’s plenty of money on the credit card for that and anything else,
but, as far as I can tell, she’s never used it. None of the money we’ve set up for
her, as a matter of fact. I just want to go see if she got one, or do I need to be all
manly and order her one?”
Nick looked at Byron when he snorted at them. “She wouldn’t use it if her
life depended on it. Just like she won’t tell you any personal information. Just
like she won’t let you run her life.”
“She is stubborn, I’ll give her that. I’ve never met a more pigheaded
person…well, never a more pigheaded female. The only other person I can think
of who’s more pigheaded is you.” Devin pointed at Nickolas and smirked before
continuing. “Probably why she thinks you hate her so much, I guess.”
That stunned Nick. Hate her? Did she really think he hated her? She
aggravated him most of the time to the point where he wanted to spank her, but
hate her? He didn’t hate her.
The men had a great dinner at Max and Erma’s downtown and had enjoyed
teasing each other for nearly the whole late afternoon. Devin’s phone rang a
couple of times, but once he looked to see who it was, he simply put the phone
away.
While Nick was paying the check, it rang again.
“Grant.” Nick smiled at that. He knew it wasn’t his mother this time. She
hated when they barked their names in the phone. As he moved to go outside, he
realized Devin was no longer with him. Just as he turned to go back inside, he
came out.
“Where did you...what’s happened?” Devin was visibly upset and tense.
“There’s been a break-in at your house. The police can’t tell me anything
because they can’t contact the owner. They’ve taken a female away in an
ambulance, Mrs. Puck, I told them. He said that she wasn’t pregnant, but... Nick,
they can’t find Morgan. She’s not there. They can’t find anyone else in the house.
And Mrs. Puck is in surgery.”
They were running to Nick’s car as Devin filled him in. When they got to his
SUV, he realized he couldn’t drive. His body was going ninety miles an hour and
he knew he couldn’t get behind the wheel. He handed the keys over to Byron
and slid in the front seat. Devin was still making calls.
They were only about twenty minutes from the house, but it seemed an
eternity. When the vehicle pulled into the drive, Nick was out and up the front
steps before either of his brothers were out of the car. Morgan, Morgan, Morgan
kept running through his mind.

Nick tried to enter the kitchen, but was stopped by a young beat cop before
he got within ten feet of the room. Devin and Byron were right behind him.
“I need to find my wife. Please, I need to see if Morgan is in there
somewhere,” he begged the cop.
“No one else is in there, buddy. We looked everywhere for her and she’s not
there. I’ll go get my captain. He wants to talk to you. Just don’t go in there; it’s a
crime scene and we can’t have civilians walking all over the place. All right?”
Nick nodded. Crime scene. He couldn’t mess up the crime scene. He sat
down heavily in one of the chairs near the fireplace. His legs suddenly couldn’t
support his weight.
“Dr. Grant, are you all right?” He looked up at the man who was speaking to
him. He didn’t know who he was, but he was dressed like the policeman who
was guarding the door.
“Morgan, my wife, have you found her yet? She’s eight months pregnant
with our twins. Please tell me she’s all right.”
“No, we haven’t found her. I don’t believe she’s here. The woman, the nurse,
she couldn’t tell us anything yet. We received a nine-one-one call to this address
from the security firm who monitors it. They couldn’t get an answer when they
received the alarm. Mrs. Grant has apparently set the alarm off once or twice
since moving in, but they’ve always made contact with her right away. Someone
forced their way in the back door and broke the glass. Mrs. Puck looks like she
tried to fight her assailant, but he over powered her and broke her arm and her
leg. Does your wife have a cell phone we could call? Maybe she’s over at a
friend’s or something and doesn’t know what’s going on here,” the policeman
said.
“She doesn’t have a cell that we know of, yet. She was to get one soon,
though. I...the doctor told her she should carry one in case she was out and went
into labor.” The door behind them crashed open and in came his mom and
Spencer, followed closely by Damon and Meggie. He reached for her and she
wrapped her arms around him.
“Have they found her yet? That poor girl. I wonder what happened to her.
She’ll be fine, Nicky, you’ll see. She’s just out and will be coming through that
door any minute wondering what all the fuss is about. Why, she’ll be yelling at
you for being here and all the mess...oh, Nicky, I want her here.” She started
sobbing in his arms. He looked up at Spence and he came and pulled her into his
arms and shuffled her to the couch.
The police went over every inch of the house, then when they were finished,
they started over. Nick had followed them both times.
Nearly three hours later, his cell rang. He nearly ignored it, but answered the
payphone call anyway.
“Grant. I don’t really have time to talk right now, but I’ll—”
“If you tell me that Mrs. Puck is all right then I’ll hang up. I’ve been out of—
” Morgan said, interrupting him.
“Where the fuck are you? You know that we’ve been trying to...she hung up
on me.” Nick looked at his mother as he said it. He’d been worried about her all
day and she had the nerve to hang up on him.
“Yes, imagine that. If you were that snarky to me, I would have hung up
too,” his mom said to him.
He looked over at Devin as his phone started to trill. When Devin looked
over at him, he knew it was a payphone call too.
He stood up and went to him as he answered.
“Hello, Grant here. Morgan?”
Nick put out his hand and waited for him to give over his cell.
“...so if you could just tell me how she is, then I’ll come on home,” she was
saying.
“You’ll fucking come home now. I’ve been waiting here...mother fuck! She
did it again. I swear to Christ, I’m going to...ouch! That fuc...that hurt. What was
that for?” He rubbed his ear where his mother had pinched him.
“You kiss me with that mouth, and I’ll paddle you good, young man. You
are not too old for me to get medieval on your buttocks, you hear me? Sit down!”
Nick sat. His mom had that look in her eye that terrified each and every one
of his brothers and him. It said, “I brought you into this world. I will fucking take
you out of it too.” They all knew she would too.
“Yes, ma’am. But she hung up...” She cut him off with a look. He stared at
her for a few seconds because he could swear that he’d seen that same look on
Morgan’s face a couple of times when they’d been fighting.
Nick tensed up when Byron’s phone rang. He started to rise, but Mom just
looked. Damn it, he was a grown man. He sat back down.
Nick watched as Byron causally pulled out his phone and winked at him.
Payback was going to hurt him so bad. As if his mother knew what he was
thinking, she glared at him again. Damn it all to hell and back.
“Hello, love. Are you all right?”
He waited for some news about her, anything would be good.


Tune in next week for  CHAPTER FORTY



Buy Link for the Box set  grab for 9.99 



Buy links

THE GRANT BROTHERS -
2 DEVIN – http://smarturl.it/devin  
4 BYRON – http://smarturl.it/byron  
5 JAMIE – http://smarturl.it/jamie  


The grant brothers series in reading order 



         

                  New Release 



Reyna Sharp, Renie to her friends, just wanted to work out the time she had left alone, with no one bothering her.
 When she was a baby her mother had given her away in a Faustian deal with a demon.
 She had until her twenty-fifth birthday then she was supposed to spend eternity in Hell. 

Arryn was next on the list of Mystics to take a mate.
 He had just lost another charge, and wasn’t up for anymore heartache.
 He didn’t think his heart could take being attached to a mate only to lose her in a few short months… 

The war between good and evil had gone on since the beginning of time.
 But even the underworld has rules…rules that aren’t meant to be broken… 

Once he’s kissed her, there’s no turning back… No matter how hard he tries,
 Arryn can’t stay away, and the more Renie pushes him away, the more he fights to keep her.
 Can love really conquer all?


Buy Links 



                         



Coming March 13th 2015 

Micah Bentley is a third generation cop and a panther. 
He always wanted to be a homicide detective like his dad, but kept getting passed up for the job 
because he was too good at what he currently did working the beat.
 Micah has a gift, he can read people’s minds.
 Such a gift could be a help and a hindrance on a job. 
He could pluck the information he needs right out of someone’s mind, but knowing 
they’re guilty and proving it are two different things.
 But when his dad is killed off duty it has him rethinking his career choice. 

Regina Webster, Reggie to her friends, is just trying to make ends meet
 by working three jobs to keep her head above water, and also take care of her invalid brother.
 She doesn’t have time for socializing with bossy men like Micah Bentley 
who butt into her life making everything concerning her his business. 
She doesn’t know anything about this mate thing he keeps spouting off about,
 she just wants him to leave her alone. 

Due to a random act of violence, she finds herself suddenly homeless:
 no home, no money, no car and suffering from a gunshot wound to boot.
 Reggie has no choice but to accept a helping hand from the Bentleys at―least until she can get back on her feet. 

Trouble has Reggie marked, and this time they take Micah’s mom too.
 Micah knows they’re in trouble, but when the bad guys don’t go where they’re expected it’s a race against the clock… 

Pre Order 


Watch The Book  Trailer 



Happy Reading 

Kathi  S Barton