The Hunted One (Falcon Falls Security), page 1
The Hunted One
A Falcon Falls Security Novel
Brittney Sahin
EmKo Media
The Hunted One
By: Brittney Sahin
Published by: EmKo Media, LLC
Copyright © 2021 EmKo Media, LLC
This book is an original publication of Brittney Sahin.
In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting brittneysahin@emkomedia.net Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
* * *
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products, brands, and/or restaurants referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
* * *
Chief Editor: Deb Markanton
Editor: Arielle Brubaker
Proofreader: Judy Zweifel, Judy’s Proofreading
Cover Design: LJ, Mayhem Cover Creations
Image/Model: Beto Malfacini
* * *
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-947717-32-9
Paperback ISBN: 9798492511777
Created with Vellum
For Joey Bowden
* * *
Thank you for reading my stories, for bringing such joy to this world, and for serving our country. You’re amazing!
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Epilogue
Falcon Falls Crossover Info
Playlist
Also by Brittney Sahin
Falcon Falls & Stealth Ops Family Tree
Where Else Can You Find Me?
Chapter One
Birmingham, Alabama
“You’re getting my display window dirty with that big hand of yours. Also, Ella’s bound to leave soon, and she’ll catch you spying.” Savanna tsked and set her palms on the Brazilian cherry countertop inside her café.
Jesse quickly removed his hand from the glass and pivoted around to face her, an adorable hand-caught-in-the-cookie-jar look on his handsome face. Which was fitting, not merely because he was obviously spying on her friend, but also because he was clutching one of the cookies she’d baked this morning and arranged in the front window, all frosted in orange, black, or Casper-white in honor of Halloween next week.
She not only sold her signature baked goods created from recipes passed down by her grandmother, but mouthwatering artisan coffee drinks brewed with the best imported espresso beans she could afford.
“I am not spying. I was just doing a perimeter sweep. Making sure no one tries to rob you as you close up shop.” He bit off the black hat of the witch cookie. “The butcher had a break-in last week. Didn’t you hear?”
“The butcher, the baker . . . any news on the candlestick maker?” She shot him a cheeky smirk.
Cheeky? Oh. Right. I just read a book by a British author. Hell, she’d even begun thinking with the accent the other day too. British accents were hot—who could blame her?
“Hilarious,” he grunted, polishing off the cookie and wiping the remnants of the finger-licking-good frosting onto the sides of his jeans.
Savanna winked and snatched one of her pink-and-white hand towels, which matched the striped sign hanging outside the brick storefront. She’d chosen her own name for the café. Her parents had wed in Savannah, Georgia, and it was her mother’s favorite Southern city. But her mom had dropped the H from her name on the birth certificate. And owning a place like this had always been her mother and grandmother’s dream, so she’d recently decided to take the plunge in their honor.
The café had been a bakery before she’d purchased the building, so it already had the bones for what she needed. And it was conveniently located near Rhodes Park, which happened to be within walking distance of her townhouse. She could barely afford her rent after sinking every last dime and nickel she had into the café, though.
She was already a month past due paying her landlord. And she didn’t want to borrow money from the business to pay her bills, but she was running out of options.
Well, there was a last resort option, but it was strictly a last resort. She couldn’t touch that money . . . could she?
Was the café doing well? Yes. Well enough to survive? Barely. But that was the nature of it, wasn’t it? She didn’t know anyone who’d gotten into this sort of business expecting to be rolling in dough. No pun intended.
Annnnd focus. What were we discussing? Not my bills.
“So, what happens next? Does Ella call or text you to let you know if she’s met Mister Right?” Jesse unhooked the Ray-Bans that clung to the front of his gray V-neck shirt, fiddled with them, then latched them back in place.
Well, hell. The man was a nervous wreck.
Savanna lifted her chin, her attention lingering on the wall of espresso beans off to her left—Central American beans with caramel undertones were her favorite—before looking out the window to view the restaurant on the other side of Highland Avenue.
The building opposite hers remained frozen in time. The large white mansion harkened back to the days of Gone With The Wind, its Greek pillars gracefully guarding the wide porch and the quintessential Southern rocking chairs on which to sit and enjoy a cocktail or two before or after dinner.
“Ella always picks the Italian place across the street to meet her online dates since she knows I’m here. If it goes well, she texts me. If it doesn’t, she’ll fake an emergency and jet over here.”
Jesse’s light blue eyes studied Savanna as he tapped a fist against his lips for a moment before dropping his gaze to the floor. He was wearing black boots, which were a change from the brown beat-up cowboy ones he normally donned. The boots also matched the leather jacket he wore, giving him a hot “bad boy” look. Not that he probably gave a damn about fashion, which was the opposite of Ella, who designed clothes and shoes as a hobby. “And how often does Ella text?” he muttered, his brows coming together in a frown.
“So far? No texts. All extraction plans via fake calls.”
He looked up at Savanna, the faint creases at the corners of his expressive eyes crinkling deeper as he smiled with obvious satisfaction. Typical Jesse. Brooding one minute, smirking the next.
“So, why are you spying on her tonight? Why not the other nights when she’s had dates?” Why am I poking a bear? Mentioning the other dates?
He cursed under his breath, then ruffled up his already-tousled semi-short blond strands. “I was in town. I’m checking on you. Saying hi. Not spying on my . . .”
Savanna arched a dark brow, which no longer matched her hair since she’d gone mostly caramel blonde last week at the salon. She’d needed a change. “Not spying on your what?”
According to Ella last night, she was Done, done, done with Jesse. She’d texted Savanna some TikTok video lamenting that all men with J names were heartbreakers and then followed it up with her “done, done, done” text. No more waiting on that man. I’ll date every man from Birmingham to Boston before I think about Jesse again, she’d added a split second later.
“Let’s talk about Shep instead and how you slept with him the night of—” Jesse’s deep voice jolted Savanna back to the present.
“The night of what was supposed to be Ella’s wedding to Brian,” Savanna finished for him. “The wedding that didn’t happen because you told her not to marry him at the dress rehearsal dinner the night before. That night, right?” Savanna crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at her friend. She was close to both Jesse and Ella, but if push came to shove, she’d have to side with Ella. “And why are you bringing that up?”
Savanna vaguely remembered babbling about that oops-moment to Jesse when they’d had too much tequila a few weeks ago, commiserating over their mutual singleness.
Shep was a firefighter in a small town outside the city, and he was one of Ella’s four overprotective brothers. And then there was Jesse. Definitely not a brother, but according to Ella, the mo
Savanna didn’t think Brian was the right man for Ella anyway, and she’d been quietly thrilled when Ella had canceled the ceremony. Ella went ahead with the reception, though, insisting the party was paid for, so why not?
The guests had let loose in classic Southern style—drinking, dancing, and singing until late into the night of Ella’s would-be wedding reception. Savanna and Shep had been drunk that night when they had sex, and upon waking the next morning, had both quickly agreed it was a never-should-have-happened, one-time-only mistake. Savanna was pretty certain Shep was also worried that A.J. would knock his teeth out if he found out his brother had slept with Savanna. In addition to being another one of Ella’s brothers, A.J. had also been Marcus’s best friend.
Marcus . . .
Savanna closed her eyes as the memories of her late husband gathered in her mind, still vivid after all these years.
Their wedding had been small and quaint, held in the middle of an open field surrounded by friends and family. Well, almost all of their family.
Savanna’s dad had walked her down the makeshift aisle—a freshly mowed strip of fragrant grass strewn with wildflowers—to the man she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with, but then Marcus died in 2015.
“You danced with Ella that night. Too bad it wasn’t you two who’d had a drunken moment together. Yours wouldn’t have been a mistake, at least,” Savanna said a moment later after pushing through the pain of her loss.
She drew in a deep breath and was instantly comforted by the lingering fragrance of her favorite Halloween-scented candles, the zesty orange, pumpkin spice, and dark plum mingling with the rich aromas of espresso beans and sweet cookies.
She double-checked all the candles had been blown out as Jesse headed toward the bookshelf he’d handmade for her café.
While working on a concept for the café last year, she’d butted heads with her designer, Ella’s mother. Deb had proposed about thirty shades of pink along with colors Savanna had never heard of before, but Savanna had declared that the color pink was to be limited to the hand towels, the sign outside, and the frosting on cakes and cookies.
She’d opted to go darker instead, wanting the shop to have a more intimate, almost romantic vibe—a place where you’d expect to see Hemingway tucked away at a corner table with his typewriter. Jesse had helped with construction to cut the costs too, and his furniture and cabinetry skills were a major plus.
He’d agreed with Savanna and helped her match the woodwork to the color of the full-bodied Italian-blend espresso beans, as well as tie in the slightly lighter hues of the beans she imported from Nicaragua into her furniture selection.
Then there was her favorite part, a small nook that seated up to eight guests and could be closed off with a sliding barn-like door Jesse had refurbished in whitewashed wood with brown accents.
“Does anyone other than you actually read these?” Jesse’s big paw of a hand abruptly snatched a novel from the bookshelf as if it’d somehow offended him.
The bottom three shelves were reserved for games. Who didn’t love to play Scrabble or a good old-fashioned game of Clue while sipping on coffee and munching on sugar cookies? But her favorite shelves were those designated for the book exchange. Romance novels lined the top three.
“They do, actually. And damn, Jesse. Dirty handprints on my windows—that’s one thing. Manhandle my romance novels and you’re looking for a fight.” She didn’t bother to hide her teasing grin when he peered at her, holding up a book whose cover featured a dashingly handsome man wearing a well-tailored suit. Billionaire bad boy. Alphahole. Office romance. All the sexy things.
He flipped it over and began reading the blurb as if he’d ever in a million years read the book. “The guy sounds like a real winner,” Jesse casually tossed out as if that was what he really wanted to talk about, then placed her book back on the shelf.
“Oh, he’s an asshole, actually. A dumbass who didn’t see a good thing right in front of him. And honestly, I wanted to smack him in the back of the head on more than one occasion.” The parallels between Jesse and the book’s hero had her smiling. “Like someone else I know.”
“So, you didn’t like the book?” he asked, ignoring the jab as well as the hint that he should quit dancing around his attraction to Ella and do something about it.
“Loved it. The woman brings him to his knees. Don’t worry.”
Jesse’s chin dipped ever so slightly as if he were about to launch into yet another denial of his feelings for Ella and remind Savanna not to hold her breath waiting for a romance book happily-ever-after because “it ain’t gonna happen.” Instead, he said, “I don’t understand women.”
“Clearly,” she couldn’t help but remark, eyes traveling back out the window, wondering if tonight would be the night that Ella’s date went well. And if so, would Jesse’s head explode? “She’s done waiting, by the way.” Savanna swallowed, feeling a bit bad, but she was angry on Ella’s behalf. “Probably.”
“Good. I don’t want her to wait for me. She needs to get on with her life. No idea how people got it into their heads we’re supposed to be together.” Jesse brought his knuckles to the side of his head and knocked as if everyone else was insane. Nope, that’d just be him for not making a move on Ella.
Savanna slapped a palm to her chest. “I swear, when it comes to that woman, you have no sense. I could swap you two nickels for a dime, and you’d think you’re rich. What is wrong with you?”
“Didn’t know it’d be comedy hour tonight. You charging for the show?” he returned with the same snark she’d delivered. “And also, I didn’t come for a lecture.”
“No, just to S-P-Y.” Did she really need to spell it out for him?
“I am here for you.”
“Mm-hm. And I’ll fall in love again one . . .” Her words trailed off, because well, they hurt. A little too much.
November was around the corner, the month her husband was executed by terrorists years ago. Marcus, along with Ella’s brother, A.J., had worked for an off-the-books team that ran special operations for the President of the United States. A team of ten Navy SEALs that the world didn’t know existed. Jesse probably had no clue his sister’s husband worked clandestine ops for Uncle Sam instead of handling security gigs for a private company, which was the story they told everyone.
“Savanna,” Jesse said on a soft exhale. “Marcus would be proud of you and this place.” His tone remained gentle, a sharp contrast to the overall ruggedness of a man who was once an Army Ranger and now worked with his hands designing beautiful pieces of furniture and cabinetry. “I only wish he was here to see it.”
And what if she lost this place? This was all she had left. That and Marcus’s red Ford Mustang, which he’d loved second to her, parked in the garage of her townhouse.
No way would she ever sell that car, either, even if it’d keep the shop open and a roof over her head. Nor would she touch the money hidden under her bed.
Savanna went back behind the counter to make sure everything was put away before she left for the night.
Tomorrow promised to be a long day. There were a few early Halloween activities happening, like the big candy-eating competition, which had been such a bad idea last year that Savanna was shocked the town council planned a repeat. Little Shawn Franklin won the contest by eating the most candy within five minutes, and then he immediately puked it back up, missing his empty candy bucket. To this day, Savanna still gagged at the sight of a Kit Kat bar or a piece of candy corn.
