Contents Title Page Copyright Dedication Chapter 1 - Bethany Chapter 2 - Emmy Chapter 3 - Alaric Chapter 4 - Emmy Chapter 5 - Alaric Chapter 6 - Alaric Chapter 7 - Alaric Chapter 8 - Emmy Chapter 9 - Sky Chapter 10 - Bethany Chapter 11 - Bethany Chapter 12 - Alaric Chapter 13 - Alaric Chapter 14 - Sky Chapter 15 - Bethany Chapter 16 - Bethany Chapter 17 - Alaric Chapter 18 - Beth Chapter 19 - Emmy Chapter 20 - Alaric Chapter 21 - Beth Chapter 22 - Alaric Chapter 23 - Alaric Chapter 24 - Beth Chapter 25 - Alaric Chapter 26 - Alaric Chapter 27 - Alaric Chapter 28 - Alaric Chapter 29 - Bethany Chapter 30 - Alaric Chapter 31 - Sky Chapter 32 - Emmy Chapter 33 - Emmy Chapter 34 - Bethany Chapter 35 - Emmy Chapter 36 - Emmy Chapter 37 - Alaric Chapter 38 - Alaric Chapter 39 - Emmy Chapter 40 - Emmy Chapter 41 - Bethany Chapter 42 - Bethany Chapter 43 - Emmy Chapter 44 - Emmy Chapter 45 - Bethany Chapter 46 - Emmy Chapter 47 - Beth Chapter 48 - Alaric Chapter 49 - Emmy Chapter 50 - Bethany Chapter 51 - Alaric F.A.S.T. What's coming next? Want to stalk me? End of Book Stuff Other books by Elise Noble RED AFTER DARK Elise Noble Published by Undercover Publishing Limited Copyright © 2020 Elise Noble v4 ISBN: 978-1-912888-25-2 This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organisations, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author. Edited by Nikki Mentges, NAM Editorial Cover design by Abigail Sins www.undercover-publishing.com www.elise-noble.com Knowing your enemy and yourself will help you to win; not knowing your enemy but knowing yourself means you are uncertain; knowing neither your enemy or yourself means you are sure to lose. - Sun Tzu, The Art of War CHAPTER 1 - BETHANY IF TWO WEEKS ago, somebody had told me that I’d be sitting on a private jet heading for an apparently luxurious estate near Richmond, Virginia, I’d have died laughing. But there I was, and quite honestly, there was nothing funny about the situation. In fact, everyone on board looked tense. Emmy Black was sitting at the table up front, pieces of gun spread out across the polished black wood in front of her. She’d been cleaning the thing since we left Northolt. When we hit turbulence half an hour ago, the bullets had all rolled onto the floor, and she’d cursed like hell while she crawled around retrieving them. Then she’d lined them up neatly on end again, exactly the same as they were before. Sky Malone, her not-quite-eighteen-year-old sidekick, had downed a large glass of wine as soon as we levelled out, and now she was sprawled on the grey leather sofa, lips twitching. Even in sleep, she was unsettled. Could I blame her? Not really. She’d quit her whole life to work for Emmy, left everything she knew, and no way would Emmy give her an easy ride. And then there was Alaric. My hot new boss. My hot new totally off-limits boss who rumour said had stolen ten million dollars from the FBI, then done a bunk. I was almost certain that he hadn’t. Almost. There was still a tiny niggle at the back of my mind that wouldn’t let me trust him completely. I knew he lied. I’d seen him do it, smoothly, convincingly, without a hint of guilt clouding those soft brown eyes. The last passenger was Ravi, Alaric’s friend and colleague, and now my colleague too. I’d just been hired as a PA at Sirius, the private intelligence agency they ran along with two others—Judd and Naz. “Having second thoughts?” Alaric asked. “Of course not,” I lied. How could I not be having second thoughts? I’d abandoned my old life too. First, I got fired from my job, and then I walked away from my family and my inheritance. My ex-husband as well, although I didn’t miss him one bit. In the decade we’d spent married, Piers had turned from a slightly cocky trainee dentist into an obnoxious, philandering prick whose brain in no way matched the size of his overinflated ego. The last fortnight had been fraught with drama—drama that started when Sky pinched my car. After that, I discovered I’d been inadvertently transporting stolen goods, which quickly got stolen again, and before we could think about recovering them, my friend got abducted by a psycho. Right now, my brain was still trying to catch up. “Because I’d understand if you were reconsidering. Has your father called again?” “Once this morning, but I didn’t answer.” What would I say to him? I doubted very much he was calling to apologise. My father never said he was sorry. Not for selling my beloved horse behind my back, not for pushing me to stay with a man who’d cheated on me, not for his own extramarital affairs. No, if I spoke to him, he’d only pressure me to change my mind, to come back into the fold and toe the family line. But no more. Once I’d made the decision to go it alone, a weight had lifted. Yes, the future was daunting, but better to face the unknown than the certainty of being yanked back every time I made a decision that disappointed my parents, and threatened with being cut off financially if I ploughed ahead anyway. “It gets easier, Beth. I promise.” I had to believe that. The same thing had happened to Alaric eight years ago, and he’d survived. I suspected that was partly why he’d given me the job with Sirius. Out of pity. That and guilt because he’d been instrumental in me getting fired from Pemberton Fine Arts—the gallery where I used to work—in the first place. “Holy shit.” Emmy’s quiet exclamation made everyone look up. Well, everyone
