Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Step into the shadows of a dangerous liaison where love and peril collide. Meet James 'Black Arrow' Wilde, the enigmatic mastermind of a lucrative smuggling ring. With his towering frame, inked skin, and lethal skills, he commands both respect and fear. But when an unforeseen witness threatens to expose his empire, James finds himself caught in a high-stakes game of survival.
Enter Honey Brooks, a fearless and unconventional photojournalist from LA. Sent to Colorado as punishment, she unsuspectingly captures a secret that draws her into a deadly dance with James Wilde—a man feared by many.
As their paths intertwine, a turbulent connection sparks, fueled by revenge, seduction, and danger. In a world where trust is scarce and alliances are fleeting, James and Honey must navigate treacherous waters, fighting not only for their lives but for a love that defies all odds. With enemies lurking in every shadow, they must decide if their fiery passion is worth the ultimate sacrifice.
Immerse yourself in the pulse-pounding pages of 'Shot in the Dark' and brace yourself for a wild ride that will leave you breathless.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
PROLOGUE
How in the hell did they do that? What I had seen earlier that morning couldn’t have possibly been true. There’s no fucking way. I readjusted the wristband of my Rolex and half-listened to Billy’s morning report of our imports, delays and shop talk, trying to forget the thoughts swirling in my mind.
I never worry. I have an answer for everything—but this left me speechless.
Our shoes clicked against the red and white marble flooring of the hallway and the sound of my breathing echoed in my ears, becoming louder with each ragged breath I took. Regardless, it was important that I keep my cool. Never let your squad see you sweat. I checked myself out in a wall length mirror as we journeyed closer to my office. Yup. I still played a good game of poker face.
When I entered my office with Billy right beside me, something told me that once I sat down and got to business, I wasn’t going to like what I was about to see. That my suspicions and my eyes had in fact not deceived me ever, so why would they start now? Billy whipped out his phone and rattled off a few email correspondents. I nodded and responded at just the right times, though my mind was somewhere else. There was no more time to lose. Pull the switch.
I sat down at my desk, snuffed my cigar, and asked that Billy leave me. He gave me a curious glance as he was in mid-sentence about another cop on our asses, but knew better than to push the issue. Until I had a handle on this situation, I didn’t want anyone finding out what I stumbled upon, not even my right-hand man.
Once Billy closed the door behind him and the coast was clear, I grabbed the folder I had squirreled away in the top drawer of my bureau, ready to review my findings. I grabbed my grandfather’s old magnifying glass, set it aside, then turned on my desk lamp to the maximum brightness. Then, I unsealed the folder, spreading out the contents before me.
Within seconds I was thumbing through the grainy security camera snapshots I had blown up for my own personal examination, and my focus zoomed in on a dark figure among the piles of plastic storage boxes, crouched between the big rigs, armed vehicles, and cargo. My heart sank.
This can’t be right. There’s no fucking way. I can’t believe this.
Snatching my magnifying glass, I hovered it over the black and white photo prints. I studied the pictures, one after the other, for at least ten more minutes, and my prior misgivings were cemented, the truth becoming crystal clear.
Shit. It’s a gotdamn woman.
How could someone infiltrate my territory without my knowledge, and be a woman at that? I had no idea who the hell this was, which made it all the more nerve-wracking. My surprise had little to do with biology and more about the fact that women rarely got into this line of work, and when they did, it was definitely not solo. There was always a man heading the charge. Husband. Boyfriend. Father. Last night though, she was definitely by herself, and all the rough, piss poor photos proved it. She got through when the power was out… That’s what happened. Fucking storm. Shit. I fired up my computer, lit a fresh cigar, and re-watched the security camera video from multiple angles. Smolder rose above my head, and grainy photos spanned all around me like autumn leaves.
Just like autumn leaves, too, I wanted her fallen… Dead.
I rewound the video footage a million times. At one point, I was impressed with her agility and abilities, but the rage inside of me wouldn’t allow me to sit with any admiration for too long. She was tossed a split second, and nothing more.
You’ve got to be shittin’ me…
I observed this unbelievable stealthy bitch tackle a fence that should have electrocuted her ass upon the first touch from her hand. Instead, she climbed over it like some spider monkey and landed on her feet from fifteen feet in the air. She slinked and slid around like hot snot, her camera flickering every now and again, illuminating the darkness in millisecond flashes. My men were completely oblivious to her presence as they loaded the gear onto the trucks, and stood around yacking. She at one point was so close to several of them, it was almost as if they knew she was there. That may have bled into my already heightened paranoia, but I knew better. The costs were too high to turn a blind eye to such a thing, or even be in cahoots.
James ran his hand along his bare chest, slow and easy, closed his eyes, then steepled his hands in front of his face. His button-down black shirt was splayed open, allowing a slight breeze in the room to cool his sweaty chest. His nostrils flared as he tried to keep his composure. Waves of rage crashed into his mind so violently that he drowned in his own thoughts.