Title: Ultimate Courage
Author: Piper J. Drake
Series: True Heroes, #2
On Sale: July 26, 2016
Publisher: Forever
Formats: Mass Market & eBook
Price: $6.99 USD (MM) / $5.99 USD
(eBook)
LOVE IS AN ACT OF BRAVERY
Retired Navy SEAL Alex Rojas is
putting his life back together, one piece at a time. Being a single dad to his
young daughter and working at Hope's Crossing Kennels to help rehab a former
guard dog, he struggles every day to control his PTSD. But when Elisa Hall
shows up, on the run and way too cautious, she unleashes his every protective
instinct.
Elisa's past never stays in her
rearview mirror for long, and she refuses to put anyone else in danger. But
with Alex guarding her so fiercely yet looking at her so tenderly, she's never
felt safer . . . or more terrified that the secrets she keeps could put
countless people in grave peril. The only way for both to fully escape their
demons will take the ultimate act of courage: letting go and learning to trust
each other.
THE TRUE HEROES SERIES
Extreme Honor, #1
Ultimate Courage, #2
Absolute Trust, #3
BUY THE BOOK HERE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Piper J. Drake (or
"PJ") spent her childhood pretending to study for the SATs by reading
every interesting novel she could find at the library. After being introduced
to the wonderful world of romance by her best friend, she dove into the genre.
PJ began her writing career as PJ
Schnyder, writing sci-fi & paranormal romance and steampunk, for which she
won the FF&P PRISM award as well as the NJRW Golden Leaf award and Parsec
award.
PJ's romantic suspense novels
incorporate her interests in mixed martial arts and the military. The True
Heroes series is inspired by her experience rescuing, owning and training a
variety of retired working dogs, including Kaiser, a former guard dog, and
Mozart, who was trained to detect explosives.
EXCERPT:
“You’ve got
to be insane.”
Elisa Hall
took a prudent step—or two—back as she observed the standoff brewing in front
of her. A tall man stood between her and the emergency room reception desk,
glaring at the woman in scrubs behind it. He stood at an angle to Elisa, so he
could see the reception desk to his right and the entirety of the waiting area
in front of him.
He clenched
his fists.
Elisa
retreated farther back toward the entrance, releasing her throbbing rist and
letting her hands fall to her sides. Harmless. Nothing to see here.
“I’m sorry,
sir, but ambulances take precedence over walk-ins,” the nurse repeated. She was
braver than Elisa would’ve been in the face of rage on a level with the man’s
at the counter.
He was dressed
in loose fitness shorts and a close-fitting black tee. His hands were wrapped
in some cross between tape and fabric.
“Fighter”
might as well have been printed across his very broad, muscular shoulders.
Actually,
now that she was looking, his tee said Revolution Mixed Martial Arts Academy.
Well, then. Maybe she should just take more ibuprofen
and forget about seeing a doctor for her swollen wrist after all. Getting her
injury examined wasn’t worth staying anywhere near this guy.
The nurse
glanced quickly at Elisa then returned her attention to the man, her expression
softening with sympathy. “As soon as an examination room opens up, we’ll get
you in to see the doctor. Please, wait right here and fill out these forms
while I help this young lady.”
Wait, what? The man’s face, and his focus, turned toward
her. Oh, great.
Usually she
envied nurses their ability to sympathize with so many patients and make such a
difference in their lives. Now was not one of those times.
Elisa
squashed the urge to bolt. Never ended well when she tried it. Better to hold
very still, wait until the anger in front of her burned itself out, and pull
herself together afterward.
Instead, she
fastened her gaze on the floor and tried to keep her body from tensing visibly.
Silently, she sang herself an inane nursery rhyme to take her mind
off the weight of the man’s
intense glare. Please, please, let him walk away. They were in public, and even
though the emergency room waiting area wasn’t packed, it still had a dozen
people scattered around the seats.
But the
expected explosion, shouting, other things . . .never happened. Instead, the
man had quieted. All of the frustrated aggression seemed to have been stuffed
away, somewhere.
She
swallowed hard. Relief eased her constricted throat, and she breathed slowly
for the time being. Leaving remained the best idea she had at the moment.
But he
stepped away from the counter and farther to her right, motioning with a
wrapped hand for her to step forward. As she forced her feet to take herself closer
to the reception desk—and past him—he gave her room.
Belatedly,
she realized his movement also happened to block her escape route toward the
doors. He couldn’t have done it on purpose, could he? But Elisa took a step up
to the reception counter and away from him anyway.
“Yes, dear?”
The nurse’s gentle prompt made Elisa jump.
Damn it. Elisa’s heart beat loud in her ears.
The nurse
gave her an encouraging smile. “Don’t mind him. He’s been here before. I’ve
already asked another nurse to bring ice packs as fast as possible. I don’t
mind if he blows off some hot air
in my direction in the meantime. I would be upset, too, considering today’s
situation.”
Elisa bit
her lip. She could still feel the man standing behind her, his presence looming
at her back. He couldn’t possibly appreciate the nurse sharing some of
his private information. And he
didn’t seem to need ice packs or any other medical attention. He appeared very
able-bodied. “It’s none of my business.”
The nurse
placed a clipboard on the counter and wrinkled her nose. “Oh, trust me, the
entire waiting room knows what his concern is. Tell me what brought you here.”
This might
be the most personable emergency room reception area Elisa had been to in
years, not counting the extremely angry man standing behind her. They were
either not very busy—not likely if all the examination rooms were full up—or
extremely efficient.
Efficiency
meant she could get in and out and decide what her next steps would be.
“My wrist.”
Elisa held out her left arm, her wrist obviously swollen. “I thought it was
just a bad sprain, but it’s been more than a few days and has only gotten
worse. I can barely move it now.”
And if she
could have avoided it, she definitely wouldn’t have stopped in to get it
treated. An emergency room visit, even with the help of her soon-to-be
nonexistent insurance, was still an expense she didn’t need. It’d been six
months or so since her last significant paycheck, and she could not afford to
extend her insurance much longer. Plus, it might be better not to. One less way
to track her.
“Is that
your dominant arm, dear?” The nurse held up a pen.
Elisa shook
her head.
“Oh, good.
Leave your ID and insurance card with me so I can make copies. Take a seat over
there to fill out this form and bring it back to me.”
Okay, then. Elisa took the items and made her way
toward the seating area, thankful the nurse hadn’t asked her to give her name
and pertinent information verbally. It was always a risk to share those things
out loud.
She’d
learned over and over again. There was a chance a slip of information in the
unlikeliest of places would find its way to exactly the person she didn’t want
to have it. No matter how careful
she’d been over the last several months, it hadn’t been enough yet.
But it would
be. This time. She was learning, and she was free. Every day was a new chance.
Nodding to
herself, Elisa looked for a seat. It might not be crowded, but just about
everyone in the room had decided to sit with at least a chair or two buffer
between them and the next person. The buffer seats were all that were left, and
most of the other people waiting to be seen were either men, or women sitting
with men.
Then she
caught sight of a young girl sitting with her legs crossed in the seat next to
the big planter in the corner. Slender, but long limbed, the girl had a sweet
face and the gangly look of a growing kid. Elisa guessed the girl was maybe
eight or nine, could even be ten. Hard to pin down age when the kid had such an
innocent look to her. The seat next to her was open, and she was waiting
quietly, hugging a big, blue, plush . . . round thing. Whatever it was.
Elisa walked
quickly over, and when the girl looked up at her with big, blue eyes, Elisa
gave her the friendliest smile she could dig up. “Mind if I sit next
to you?”
The girl
looked around, her gaze lingering on the reception area behind Elisa for a
moment before saying, “Sure.”
Elisa took a
seat.
After a few
silent moments, the little girl stirred next to her. “Are you sick?”
Well,
paperwork didn’t take much of her attention, and it’d been a while since Elisa
had been outside of her own head in a lot of ways. Conversation would be
a welcome change and a good
distraction from the constant worry running in the back of her mind. “Not sick so
much as hurt. I won’t give you the plague.”
A soft,
strained laugh. “Same here.”
Elisa took a harder look at the
big, plush toy. It wasn’t for comfort as Elisa’d first assumed. It was
supporting the girl’s slender left arm, which was bent at an impossible angle.
“Oh my god.”
Why was she sitting here alone?
“Don’t
worry.” The girl gave her a quick thumbs-up with her right hand. “The doctors
are really good here, and I’m in all the
time.”
Such a brave
face. She had to be in an insane amount of pain. And here she was encouraging
Elisa.
“Is there
someone you should talk to about how often you get hurt?” Elisa struggled for
the right tone. It was one she’d heard more than once when people had been concerned
for her. Some places had safeguards in place for . . .
Blue eyes
widened. “Oh, it’s not what you’re thinking. Trust me, people ask my dad. And
it’s not like that at all. I study
mixed martial arts. I get bruised and
bumped all the time, and usually
it’s nothing, but Dad always makes me come in to get checked.”
It was hard
not to believe in the earnest tone. But monsters were everywhere.
The girl
gave her a rueful smile, still amazing considering how much pain she had to be
in. “This time it wasn’t just a bump.”
“Which is
why they’re going to see you as soon as they can, Boom.”
Elisa hadn’t
heard the man approach. He was just there. He kneeled down in front of the girl
then gently tucked an ice pack around her arm while moving it as
little as possible. For her part,
the girl hissed in pain but otherwise held up with amazing fortitude.
Elisa would’ve been in tears. The
forearm had to be broken. Both bones. It didn’t take a doctor to figure that out.
No wonder the man had been mad earlier. She’d want this girl to be seen as soon
as possible, too. She dropped her gaze, unable to watch.
“Here.” An
ice pack appeared in her view. “Your wrist should be iced, too. Take down the
swelling while you wait.”
Speechless,
Elisa looked up.
The man’s
words were gruff, awkward. His expression was blank. But his eyes—a softness
around his eyes—and a . . . quiet in the way he watched her made her swallow
and relax a fraction. Her heartbeat stuttered in a fluttery kind of way. A
completely different reaction from what she should be experiencing if she were
wise. She didn’t know this man and he was probably married. The girl had a
mother somewhere. Where? Maybe on her way. This man was just being nice. Maybe.
Learn from your mistakes. You never know who
a person really is.
