Stalked by Secrets, page 1
Davis nodded as he pressed his lips gently to hers.
The kiss was tender, until it wasn’t, every ounce of emotion the two were feeling for each other exploding between them. Falling back against the cushions, he pulled Neema down with him. As she fell against the expanse of his chest, his hands danced down the length of her arms and across her back. The tips of his fingers rested against the curve of her buttocks, heat burning beneath the tips. Her arms snaked around his shoulders and back, her hands clinging to him hungrily as her mouth twisted and turned with his. The kiss had become frenetic, both anxious for each other’s touch.
When he shifted his body beneath hers, Neema straddling his legs, there was no hiding the rise of nature that pressed against the front of his slacks for attention. His excitement was on full display as he pressed himself against her.
Neema suddenly sat upright, pulling a closed fist to her mouth. “I’m sorry. There’s something we need to talk about first,” she started. “There’s something important I need to tell you.”
* * *
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* * *
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Dear Reader,
Let me start by first saying thank you. Thank you for being so supportive of me and my writing. Thank you for waiting so patiently for this installment of the Black family series. I can’t begin to tell you how much that means to me.
Stalked by Secrets is the story of Neema Kamau and Davis Black. Davis is the youngest son in my fictional family, and although he doesn’t wear a badge, as the city alderman, he is very much dedicated to his Chicago constituents.
I loved breathing life into Davis and the enigmatic Neema. The two challenged me during a time when I didn’t appreciate having one more thing added to my list of must-do’s. But they were exactly what I needed, and I hope they do for you what they did for me. I hope you will enjoy them together as much as I enjoyed writing them!
Thank you again for your support. I am humbled by all the love you show me, my characters and our stories. I know that none of this would be possible without you.
Until the next time, please take care and may God’s blessings be with you always.
With much love,
Deborah Fletcher Mello
STALKED BY
SECRETS
Deborah Fletcher Mello
A true Renaissance woman, Deborah Fletcher Mello finds joy in crafting unique story lines and memorable characters. She’s received accolades from several publications, including Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and RT Book Reviews. Born and raised in Connecticut, Deborah now considers home to be wherever the moment moves her.
Books by Deborah Fletcher Mello
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
To Serve and Seduce
Seduced by the Badge
Tempted by the Badge
Reunited by the Badge
Stalked by Secrets
Colton 911: Grand Rapids
Colton 911: Agent By Her Side
Harlequin Kimani Romance
Truly Yours
Hearts Afire
Twelve Days of Pleasure
My Stallion Heart
Stallion Magic
Tuscan Heat
A Stallion’s Touch
A Pleasing Temptation
Sweet Stallion
To Tempt a Stallion
A Stallion Dream
Visit the Author Profile page at
Harlequin.com for more titles.
To Bubba, Biscuit, Gravy and Titus.
Woof, woof, boys! Woof, woof!
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
Excerpt from Colton 911: Undercover Heat by Anna J. Stewart
Chapter 1
Davis Black stormed into the kitchen of his parents’ home. He slammed the stack of dirty dishes he carried into the sink, pausing as they crashed harshly against the bottom of the metal pan. He was super pissed, rage rushing through his system with a vengeance he hadn’t known possible. It was emotion he was struggling to contain least he lash out and hurt someone. He clenched his hands into tight fists, his fingernails digging into the palms of his hands. His jaw was tight, the muscles in his face beginning to throb. To release the wealth of tension, he screamed at the top of his lungs, his rage spewing in a deep guttural roar that had him sounding like a wounded animal ready to attack. The family members in the other room went quiet and Davis shrieked again.
He was furious but didn’t know who he wanted to be mad at more. His mother, who had just announced he and his siblings had a long-lost brother that no one knew about. His older brother, Mingus, who’d just called him out in front of the whole family, threatening to expose a secret he had no interest in sharing. Or the rest of the Black family brood, all acting as if nothing in the world was wrong with any of them. Toss in the fact that someone was trying to blackmail his parents, putting the entire family at risk, and he was ready to spit nails.
Davis was thoroughly irritated that he hadn’t been able to respond to his mother’s news or his brother’s pronouncement; instead, made to bite his tongue and check his attitude. His father and his other siblings had been quick to chastise him, putting him on blast for his insolence. Now, what he wanted most was to punch something. Or someone. Hard.
The family’s Sunday dinner to celebrate Simone’s release from the hospital had not been without the usual dramatics that seemed to follow the Blacks. Six weeks earlier his youngest sister, an attorney, had been shot in a drive-by, the bullet intended for the father of her unborn child. The two had been preparing to announce a major lawsuit against a drug company they claimed was poisoning its patients with contaminated product. Simone’s boyfriend, Dr. Paul Reilly, had discovered the crime and now the two were local heroes in the medical community.
Sitting around the table breaking bread was supposed to be so much about normalizing their lives yet, more times than not, it was everything but normal. With his parents and his brothers all working for the Chicago judicial system, they spent most of their time on edge, chasing demons that threatened the peace and quiet throughout the city. These mandatory family gatherings inevitably left one or more of them deep in their feelings and tonight was no exception. Davis hadn’t thought it possible, but his family had finally taken dysfunction to a whole other level.
Now, every one of them, his brothers Mingus, Parker, Ellington and Armstrong, and his sister Vaughan were headed to their respective homes feeling like they’d been slapped with a sledgehammer. Davis didn’t include Simone because with her, he was never sure what he might get. Things that rattled the rest of them sometimes barely registered on his sister’s emotional radar.
Davis heaved a soft sigh as he leaned against the counter. He was emotionally exhausted, and seriously considering taking a break from his family. Between his parents’ expectations, the sibling rivalry that really wasn’t supposed to be a competition and trying to figure out what he needed for his own life, he was simply tired. He took a deep breath, held it deep in his lungs before blowing it back out. He was just about to head back into the dining room when Armstrong and Parker came through the door.
“I just wanted to check on you before Danni and I take off,” Armstrong said. “It sounded like you were having a hard time in here.”
“I’m good,” Davis muttered. He and his brother exchanged a look before Davis dropped his eyes to the tiled floor.
A moment passed before Armstrong nodded. “I also wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to snap at you the way I did.”
Davis shrugged. “I shouldn’t have spoken to Mom like that.” He thought about the tone he’d taken with their mother after her announcement and contrition furrowed his brow.
“No, you shouldn’t have,” Parker agreed. “But we understand. It was a shock and we all have questions.”
“And Mom will answer them as soon as she’s able. She’s always been honest with us about everything,” Armstrong added.
“Obviously not about this,” Davis snapped, his arms folded tightly across his chest. “If she had been, there would be no way anyone would think they could blackmail her with the information.”
The brothers all exchanged anxious glances, everything about the situation unsettling.
“No,” Judith Harmon Black said as she suddenly entered the room. “I wasn’t up-front about this because I had no intention of ever telling any of you. This was not something I ever thought I’d have to deal with again. It’s a moment in my life that I’m not proud of. And it’s a moment in my life that I had put behind me.”
An awkward silence descended over the room. Judith moved to Davis’s side and pressed her palm to his cheek, the gesture meant to be comforting. Davis w
“I’m sorry,” Davis apologized. “What I said to you before was rude and disrespectful.”
His mother nodded. “Apology accepted! None of this is going to be easy, but each of you needs to understand that nothing that happened in my past, and nothing that will happen going forward, will change how much I love you all.”
“We love you, too, Mom,” Armstrong said. He reached to give her a hug, and then he hugged Davis. “I need to run, or my wife is going to be late for work!”
Chicago police captain Parker Black, head of the district Armstrong’s wife, Danni, reported to, laughed cheerily. “You better hurry then. I hear her boss is a monster!”
They all laughed with him, his jest lightening the mood.
“We good?” Armstrong asked, his question directed at Davis.
“We’re fine,” Davis said. “We can talk more later.”
They all watched the man make his exit then Davis shifted his attention to Judith. “Was Ellington able to help? I mean...well, did you make a decision about contacting your...your...” Davis hesitated, swallowing his emotion before finishing his question. “Your son?” The word seemed to suddenly catch in his throat as he thought about the child his mother had never acknowledged until forced to do so.
Judith took a deep breath. “No, I haven’t made any decisions. Your father and I want to discuss it more before I do anything. I’ll want all your input, as well. This impacts our entire family, so it’s only right that you all have some say in what we do.”
Davis wrapped his arms around his mother’s shoulders and hugged her warmly. His earlier anger had been assuaged, the wealth of it lifting like morning mist lost to a rising sun. Despite the uncertainty, his family always came together for each other. He knew they would weather whatever storm blew in their direction. It was the one certainty in his life that he trusted without reservation.
His father, Chicago Police Superintendent Jerome Black, suddenly barreled through the door. “Who wants to go to Vegas?”
They all turned to look at the man, confusion washing over their expressions. In the other room, Vaughan, the eldest daughter, cried out with glee as she and Ellington celebrated loudly.
“What’s going on?” Judith questioned, eyeing her husband curiously.
“Simone and Paul are eloping to Vegas. They just sent a text asking if we all want to fly out to join them.”
Davis rolled his eyes skyward, not at all surprised by anything his sister did. Only Simone would want to get married just hours after their mother’s bombshell announcement. “Why is she rushing?” he asked. “Especially now, after what happened at dinner this evening?”
“It’s Simone,” Parker responded. “Why does she do half the things she does?”
“She’s pregnant,” their mother interjected. “I’m sure her hormones have a lot to do with it, but she’s happy and Paul loves her. We should all go to support them.”
“I have to be here tomorrow afternoon, so we’ll need to fly right back after the ceremony,” Jerome said. “And I know Armstrong and Danni won’t be able to make it. Danni’s working undercover on a case and Armstrong’s not going to stray but so far from her.”
“Mingus and Joanna are going,” Davis said, reading a text message on his cell phone screen. “And Paul’s paying for the airline tickets for any of us that want to go.”
“I have a few days of vacation,” Parker said. “We should go and hang out for a day or two. Do a little brotherly bonding. What’s your schedule look like?”
“There’s nothing on my calendar that I can’t move,” Davis said with a nod. “And, I could use a break.”
He paused for a moment. He did need some rest and time away with his brothers, who were his best friends in the world, sounded exactly like the answer to a multitude of his problems. Because his stress levels were at an all-time high, his emotions often getting the better of him on his best days. Only Mingus knew just how much it had become a challenge for him to get through each day, and his brother had almost spilled those beans earlier that evening.
You need to tell them, Mingus had admonished; loudly, so that the whole family could hear. Then the questions had come and Davis had stormed out of the room and into the kitchen to avoid answering.
He was still nodding. “I say we should do it!”
“Then let’s go to Vegas!” Parker exclaimed.
Judith clapped her hands excitedly. “Let’s just get your sister married before you boys go off looking for trouble, please!”
Davis smiled. “Trouble? Not us!”
* * *
Davis exited the family home, still in his feelings but not as raging mad as he’d been earlier. His mother had hugged him tightly, holding him longer than usual. Yet, despite his best efforts, he’d found himself unable to ease fully into the comfort she usually brought to their interactions.
“You good, son?” Jerome Black questioned as he walked him to his car.
Davis shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”
Jerome nodded his head slowly. “If you need to talk...”
“I don’t,” Davis snapped. He felt his father bristle slightly.
The patriarch coughed, drawing his closed hand to cover his mouth. An awkward moment of silence rose swiftly between them. It hung heavily in the evening air and then it didn’t, a cool breeze carrying it away.
“It’s cold out here,” Davis said. “You should go inside.”
“I need a favor from you,” Jerome said. He shot a look over his shoulder toward the stately home, down one side of the street and then the other.
Davis blew a soft sigh. “Yes, sir?”
“I need you to take a meeting with Alexander Balducci.”
Davis turned to stare at his father. His eyes were wide, his brow furrowed. “You need me to take a meeting with Alexander Balducci? Are you crazy?”
The Balducci name was synonymous with every criminal element in the city. One of the oldest crime families in Chicago history, the Balduccis were notorious. His father and the Balducci patriarch, Alexander, had a long-time friendship that many didn’t understand. For years, the two had walked on opposite sides of the law. Their children also had a lengthy toe-to-toe history with fatal outcomes. His brother Armstrong, a distinguished police detective, had gone up against Alexander’s two sons and both Balduccis had lost. One his freedom and the other his life. But through it all, Jerome had maintained a relationship with the man others publicly distanced. Their long-standing friendship was why many questioned the police superintendent’s credibility, assuming he had to be a dirty cop.
“No,” Davis said, shaking his head vehemently. “Why would you ask me to—”
“I’m not asking,” Jerome said sternly. “He needs your assistance with something, and I told him you would help. I’ll call and let you know when and where.” He turned abruptly and headed for the front door of his home.
Still shaking his head, Davis didn’t bother to respond, knowing he’d been dismissed. He slid into the front seat of his car and as he pulled out of the parking space, he bellowed, a litany of profanity spewing past his full lips.
* * *
Days later, Davis sat with Mingus, Parker and Ellington, the brothers all gathered around the bar at The Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. They had already downed a round of shots and were ready for the next as they debated where to grab dinner.
Their sister’s wedding had gone off nicely. With Simone and Paul exchanging vows to seal the deal on their relationship, their baby sister’s well-being was one less thing for them all to be concerned about.
Davis exhaled loudly before guzzling another ounce and a half of black rum.
“Maybe you should slow down there,” Parker admonished, eyeing him with a raised brow.
Davis shrugged his broad shoulders. “It’s Vegas. It’s what we do in Vegas.”
