Beautiful Sacrifice
Pride and Honor, #2
by Ember Raine Winters
Publication date: April 20th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
BLURB
Being a cop, I didn’t have any choice, but I really wish I hadn’t got mixed up in this case. My dark past is catching up to me ever since he barreled into my life without a care. It terrifies me that he sees right through me. He could be the one to save me . . . or break me.
Twitch
It was just a job. Until it wasn’t. By then the sexy little redhead had her claws in me. Now, she’s in my life and I’m lost. How am I supposed to keep the demons from her past from eating her alive? I don’t know, but I will do whatever it takes to make her mine.
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EXCERPT:
It
happened again. I didn’t think a person could dream when they were that drunk.
I was wrong. She let out a blood-curdling scream, and I jumped from my spot on
the couch and ran into the bedroom. I was looking around wildly for any
possible threat, when I noticed Tasha thrashing and whimpering in the bed.
“Tasha? Tasha!” I bellowed.
I walked over to the bed and brushed the hair from her face and
watched as she settled. Walking around the bed, I figured I’d stay and make
sure another nightmare didn’t come back. I leaned up against the headboard and
watched her sleep for a bit. I was drowning.
I couldn’t believe how much this woman had gotten under my skin. I
didn’t like it, but as I sat there looking at her sleep, her scarlet locks
framing the pillow, I knew I was done for. I would do anything to protect her,
even from herself.
Everyone joked and talked crap about how I reacted in times of
stress, but I learned that from living in foster care and on the streets. I
became that way after having to not only watch my back, but also watch Kelly’s
as well. It did me a great deal of good in the military. I just wished I knew
what to do to help Tasha.
“GO, go, go!” I screamed at Kelly as we ran
down an alley.
We had a really big ugly dude on our tail. I
was pretty sure he was after Kelly. She was a cute little thing, and we had our
fair share of big guys trying to take advantage of her.
We ran down the alley and came to a busy
street. There were people everywhere so we slowed our pace.
“Do you think we lost him?” she asked with a
tremor in her voice.
I wrapped an arm around her and continued
down the street. I could tell she was scared. I hated that she came with me.
She actually had a decent family this time. Mine had sucked and the guy had
tried to hurt me several times.
When I told Kelly what was happening, she
insisted that we take off again—she was a persistent little thing. Finally I
agreed after the guy punched me in the face, blackening my eye.
“I don’t know, Tink,” I sighed and hugged her
closer.
A moment later she was ripped from my arm and
I turned around to see Big Ugly with his meaty paw wrapped around her biceps.
She squealed in pain and was thrashing against him. I saw red.
“Let her go!” I raged and stepped forward.
He laughed then. The sound grated on my already
fried nerves. I was looking around. It wasn’t good to cause a scene in the
middle of a busy street. If someone called the cops, we would be going back to
foster care.
It didn’t matter that the guy was roughly
pulling Kelly down a sidestreet, struggling all the while. I walked up behind
him and punched him in the back of the head as hard as I could.
“What the fuck?” he yelled and swung around
with a right cross, but I ducked under his arm and plowed into his middle. He
got me from behind, and each blow he delivered to my back felt like I was
getting hit by a truck, but I refused to let go. Once he had me on the ground,
he flipped me over and straddled my waist as he rained blow after blow on my
head and chest. I vaguely heard Kelly’s panicked screams. I was covering my
face in an attempt to ward off his punches when everything went black.
My eyes shot open as I looked around wildly. I didn’t recognize
anything in the room I was sleeping in. After a few minutes, I relaxed when I
noticed Tasha asleep in the bed next to me.
I hadn’t even realized that I had fallen asleep sitting up, until
Tasha rolled over and moaned.
“Twitch? What are you doing here?” She yawned.
“Sorry, you had a nightmare. I came in to try to calm you. I must
have fallen asleep.” I put my legs over the bed and stood up.
“It’s okay, just stop screaming at me,” she groaned.
I chuckled and then I went to the bathroom. Grabbing a bottle of
water and aspirin, I walked back to the bed and handed them to her.
“Thanks.” She popped the aspirin in her mouth and downed the
bottle of water. “I don’t really remember much of last night. I hope I didn’t
make you uncomfortable,” she said shyly.
“No worries. I have dealt with many drunk people before. You were
fine,” I laughed.
“Ugh,” she groaned. “I let her get to me.”
“I figured that. You okay?” I asked, making sure to lower my
voice.
“Yup, I’m here to do a job. That’s all!” She was getting fired up.
“I’m not going to let her and her selfish need for my forgiveness get to me.”
“Okay, well, you feeling good enough to get this show on the road
then?” I asked.
“Absolutely,” she said sitting up, stopping for a second as if
noticing something for the first time and looked at me accusingly.
“Did you undress me?”
“Nope, that was all you,” I chuckled. “Carried you to the bed
after you passed out on the sofa, but you woke up and started stripping. I
hightailed it out of here as soon as I realized what was happening. I only came
back in when I heard your nightmare.”
She looked around, seemingly for the first time, and saw her
clothes and shoes sprawled across the floor and shook her head.
“This is why I never drink whiskey,” she sighed dramatically.
“You drank whiskey?” I asked flabbergasted.
“Yeah, and a lot of it.” she replied. “Can you leave so I can get
dressed, please?”
“Sure thing.”
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Thank
you so much for joining us today!
Tell us about your story. What is it about and what role do
you play?
Hi! I’m Natasha Price but everyone calls me Tasha. I am a detective with the LAPD and I have been investigating the kid napping of the Robbins kids. Leanne and Lance were kidnapped by their father Brendan and left in a sleazy motel room when he found out we were on to him. I end up getting partnered with Twitch aka Dylan Spaulding from GTT Security to help find Brendan and bring him to justice. In order to find Brendan I have to confront my dark past and I learn some things about my family along the way.
Hi! I’m Natasha Price but everyone calls me Tasha. I am a detective with the LAPD and I have been investigating the kid napping of the Robbins kids. Leanne and Lance were kidnapped by their father Brendan and left in a sleazy motel room when he found out we were on to him. I end up getting partnered with Twitch aka Dylan Spaulding from GTT Security to help find Brendan and bring him to justice. In order to find Brendan I have to confront my dark past and I learn some things about my family along the way.
Can you tell us about one of your most distinguishable
features?
It's probably my bright red hair and hazel eyes that draw
people in the most. Dylan says that my hair matches my fiery personality.
*giggles*
Do you have any birthmarks or tattoos?
No, I have always wanted a tattoo. I have some scars but they aren't visible. Scars aren't always skin deep some are much, much deeper.
No, I have always wanted a tattoo. I have some scars but they aren't visible. Scars aren't always skin deep some are much, much deeper.
Would you ever want to go hang out with your author? If so,
what would you do together?
Ember? I would totally like to hang out with Ember. She might not want to hang out with me right now because there are some completely wicked men after us. I think if I did, we would have a girl’s night with Kaylee and maybe Marcy depending on her mood. Maybe, stay in and watch chick flicks and eat pizza and ice cream until we couldn't eat anymore.
Ember? I would totally like to hang out with Ember. She might not want to hang out with me right now because there are some completely wicked men after us. I think if I did, we would have a girl’s night with Kaylee and maybe Marcy depending on her mood. Maybe, stay in and watch chick flicks and eat pizza and ice cream until we couldn't eat anymore.
If you could have a super power what would it be, and why?
Mind reading would make my job as a detective easier, but I don't think that I would like to know what people are thinking all the time. I think I would like invisibility. It would be fun and helpful with my job, plus I would love to use it to scare the heck out of Trey and get him back for all his teasing. *snickers*.
Mind reading would make my job as a detective easier, but I don't think that I would like to know what people are thinking all the time. I think I would like invisibility. It would be fun and helpful with my job, plus I would love to use it to scare the heck out of Trey and get him back for all his teasing. *snickers*.
What is your biggest pet peeve when dealing with others?
I hate liars I deal with a lot of liars and thieves in my line of work. I see the worst of what humanity has to offer and it has made me a little jaded. I like to think that Twitch and the guys at GTT showed me the best of what humanity has to offer. I never really saw much of that in my life until I met them. Oh boy, here I go getting all sappy on you. *sigh*
I hate liars I deal with a lot of liars and thieves in my line of work. I see the worst of what humanity has to offer and it has made me a little jaded. I like to think that Twitch and the guys at GTT showed me the best of what humanity has to offer. I never really saw much of that in my life until I met them. Oh boy, here I go getting all sappy on you. *sigh*
What would I love the most about you?
I think it would have to be my conviction. I have a strong affinity for rules and a strong belief in justice. It's why I became a cop. I wanted to make sure that criminals are brought to justice and those hurt by them found peace. It probably has a lot to do with the abuse I suffered as a child and the belief that I would never get that same feeling of peace for my life.
I think it would have to be my conviction. I have a strong affinity for rules and a strong belief in justice. It's why I became a cop. I wanted to make sure that criminals are brought to justice and those hurt by them found peace. It probably has a lot to do with the abuse I suffered as a child and the belief that I would never get that same feeling of peace for my life.
What would I hate the most about you?
Probably my strong affinity for rules. I have been told I can be a bit uptight at times even though I have been known to break a few rules myself. *chuckles*
Probably my strong affinity for rules. I have been told I can be a bit uptight at times even though I have been known to break a few rules myself. *chuckles*
Do you think the author portrayed you accurately?
I do though maybe she made me a little more wound up then I would have liked. I do think that she was considerate in her portrayal of my past and the problems that it gave me as an adult.
I do though maybe she made me a little more wound up then I would have liked. I do think that she was considerate in her portrayal of my past and the problems that it gave me as an adult.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
Waking up next to Dylan and a poolside barbecue with all my new friends and family. That would be the best day.
Waking up next to Dylan and a poolside barbecue with all my new friends and family. That would be the best day.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing Dylan to something that he couldn't come back from. I came close once but you will have to read the book to see what happened. *winks*
Losing Dylan to something that he couldn't come back from. I came close once but you will have to read the book to see what happened. *winks*
Someone is secretly in love with you. Who is it and how do you feel about that?
No one better be in love with me other than Dylan I don’t want to think about what that overbearing caveman would do if someone was in love with me. It wouldn't be pretty. He has growled at his closest friends just for a little harmless flirting.
No one better be in love with me other than Dylan I don’t want to think about what that overbearing caveman would do if someone was in love with me. It wouldn't be pretty. He has growled at his closest friends just for a little harmless flirting.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew
up?
When I was a kid I didn't want to do anything more than get away from my stepdad. I could have done anything with my life just as long as he couldn't get to me anymore.
When I was a kid I didn't want to do anything more than get away from my stepdad. I could have done anything with my life just as long as he couldn't get to me anymore.
If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you
do today?
No one is ever guaranteed tomorrow, in my line of work I live everyday like it's my last because there is a good chance it could be. I don't think I would do anything different except maybe hug Dylan a little tighter and tell my new found family what they mean to me. Ugh! There I go again! These questions are bringing the sap right out of me!
No one is ever guaranteed tomorrow, in my line of work I live everyday like it's my last because there is a good chance it could be. I don't think I would do anything different except maybe hug Dylan a little tighter and tell my new found family what they mean to me. Ugh! There I go again! These questions are bringing the sap right out of me!
What is the one food you can’t live without?
Anything with a kick. I love jalapeños and Mexican food. If I could get away with eating it every day I would.
Anything with a kick. I love jalapeños and Mexican food. If I could get away with eating it every day I would.
If they turned the book into a movie, who would be cast to
play you?
I really like Amy Adams. I think she would be amazing as me. She's cute and sweet and I'm not sure how many sassy police detectives she’s played in the past, but I think she would be awesome at it.
I really like Amy Adams. I think she would be amazing as me. She's cute and sweet and I'm not sure how many sassy police detectives she’s played in the past, but I think she would be awesome at it.
Author Info
Ember Raine Winters is a new author who just self-published her first book. She went to community college to study political science and philosophy. She is currently taking classes to get her BS in business majoring in Sports management. She is an avid reader mostly fantasy and science fiction with a little romance thrown in as well. She loves writing Science Fiction mainly dystopian but is trying her hand in Fantasy as well.
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