About CHRISTMAS
WITNESS CONSPIRACY:
Reunited in peril… The family he never knew
is under siege.
Detective Liam Bearsmith’s life is turned upside down at Christmastime when the hacker he’s tracking turns out to be the witness he fell for twenty years ago. But Kelly Marshall insists she’s being framed, and he wants to believe her…especially after criminals attack them. Can he clear her name, even as he shields Kelly—and the family he never knew existed?
Excerpt,
CHRISTMAS WITNESS CONSPIRACY by Maggie K. Black
***
He turned and walked toward the
restaurant, so quickly and firmly she couldn’t have grabbed his hand again if
she’d wanted to. She followed him up the stairs and across the deck—the empty
deck with its picnic tables inches deep in snow. He reached for the door, found
it unlocked and pushed it open. They stepped into the restaurant. It was empty
and dark. Chairs were stacked upside down on empty tables.
As the door clicked shut behind
them, a young man in a thick beard stepped out from behind it and pressed the
barrel of a gun to the side of Liam’s head.
“Down on your knees.”
The voice was low and mean. His face was lost in shadows and the click of the
gun was unmistakable. “You’re about to learn what happens to someone who tries
to lie to Bill Leckie, and it ain’t going to be pretty.”
“You tell Bill, I didn’t cross him,” Liam said calmly,
raising his hands, “and I await his apology when he figures that out. Now, tell
me, what exactly does Bill think I’ve done?”
Then, before the man could even
formulate an answer, Liam struck, apparently more interested in distracting
his attacker long enough to get the upper hand than hearing what he had to say.
Kelly watched as Liam spun toward the gun-wielding man, grabbing the weapon
before he could even fire and slamming him into the wall. She felt a gust of
wind and heard the door slam and click shut again. She blinked. Liam had
disarmed his attacker, thrown him out and locked the door behind him, without even
breaking a sweat. Then she felt Liam’s strong hand on her shoulder, guiding
her and the still-sleeping baby underneath a table, sheltering them with his
body.
“Stay here,” Liam whispered, his voice urgent. His
face was just inches from hers. Worry flooded his eyes. “It’s an ambush. That
guy won’t be alone and just because I was able to catch him off guard doesn’t
mean the others won’t put up more of a fight.” Not to mention the guy he just
locked outside would be trying to get back in, no doubt. “There are other doors
to this place, but we’d have to go through the kitchen or down the hallway,
both of which are risky. This is an easier place to defend. Whatever Bill
thinks I’ve done, he won’t want his goons hurting you or the baby. He’s got way
too much honor than to allow a woman or child to get hurt on his watch, and has
probably already told his attack dogs to leave you alone. I’m the one they’re
after. I’ll get you out of here. Just promise me, if you get a clear path to
escape, just take Pip and go, okay? Don’t wait for me and don’t look back.”
Before she could answer, his
hand slid to the side of her face. His lips brushed over her forehead. Then he
rolled back out into the room and leaped to his feet, knocking a table in front
of Kelly and Pip’s hiding space as he did so, further shielding and protecting
them.
“Like I told Bill, I have a
woman and baby with me!” he shouted to the seemingly empty room. He tucked the
gun he’d lifted into his belt. “If you’re Bill’s men you’ll know full well that
hurting innocent women and children is against his code. Whatever his problem
is, it’s with me, not them. And no weapon fire, please. The kid’s asleep and
Bill won’t want you making things loud and scaring her awake.”
He sounded so calm and
in control, as if he was the only person there who really understood what was
going on. Kelly slid Pip’s car seat into the corner against the wall,
sheltering it with her body and praying God
get back in, no doubt. “There
are other doors to this place, but we’d have to go through the kitchen or down
the hallway, both of which are risky. This is an easier place to defend.
Whatever Bill thinks I’ve done, he won’t want his goons hurting you or the
baby. He’s got way too much honor than to allow a woman or child to get hurt on
his watch, and has probably already told his attack dogs to leave you alone.
I’m the one they’re after. I’ll get you out of here. Just promise me, if you
get a clear path to escape, just take Pip and go, okay? Don’t wait for me and
don’t look back.”
Before she could answer, his
hand slid to the side of her face. His lips brushed over her forehead. Then he
rolled back out into the room and leaped to his feet, knocking a table in front
of Kelly and Pip’s hiding space as he did so, further shielding and protecting
them.
“Like I told Bill, I have a
woman and baby with me!” he shouted to the seemingly empty room. He tucked the
gun he’d lifted into his belt. “If you’re Bill’s men you’ll know full well that
hurting innocent women and children is against his code. Whatever his problem
is, it’s with me, not them. And no weapon fire, please. The kid’s asleep and
Bill won’t want you making things loud and scaring her awake.”
He sounded so calm and
in control, as if he was the only person there who really understood what was
going on. Kelly slid Pip’s car seat into the corner against the wall,
sheltering it with her body and praying God would protect Pip from realizing
they were in danger. Then Kelly crouched up onto the balls of her feet and
looked out through gaps in the chairs and fallen table that barricaded her from
view. As she watched, two more men, of varying heights, wearing plaid jackets
and with full-length beards, stepped out of the shadows. Liam had been so
convinced that Bill would protect them and he’d been wrong.
Lord, please keep us safe.
She watched as Liam raised his
badge high.
“I’m Liam Bearsmith!” he
shouted at the approaching men. “RCMP. Stand down! Now! Or I’ll arrest you for
assaulting an officer.”
About the
author:
Maggie K. Black is an award-winning
journalist and self-defense instructor. She's lived in the United States,
Europe and Middle East, and left a piece of her heart in each. She now makes
her home in Canada where she writes stories that make her heart race.
Purchase
links:
·
Barnes
& Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-witness-conspiracy-maggie-k-black/1136599837?ean=9781335403100
·
Google
books: https://books.google.ca/books/about/Christmas_Witness_Conspiracy.html?id=XVBqzQEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
·
Harlequin.com:
https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781488061417_christmas-witness-conspiracy.html
Author
links:
·
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maggiekblack
·
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaggieKBlack
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