Evie Mitchell Bleeding Edge Book 2 | Elliot Security Series First published by Thunder Thighs Publishing 2021 Copyright © 2021 by Evie Mitchell All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmittedin any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise withoutwritten permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distributeit by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it arethe work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localitiesis entirely coincidental. This book was previously released as Rough Code by Kim Congram. First edition Editing by Hot Tree Publishing Cover art by Sly Fox Cover Designs This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy Find out more at reedsy.com Contents Dedication Also by Evie Mitchell Connect with Evie Mitchell Bleeding Edge Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six Chapter Thirty-Seven Chapter Thirty-Eight Chapter Thirty-Nine Chapter Forty Chapter Forty-One Chapter Forty-Two Chapter Forty-Three Chapter Forty-Four Chapter Forty-Five Chapter Forty-Six Chapter Forty-Seven Chapter Forty-Eight Chapter Forty-Nine Chapter Fifty Chapter Fifty-One Chapter Fifty-Two Chapter Fifty-Three Chapter Fifty-Four Chapter Fifty-Five Chapter Fifty-Six Chapter Fifty-Seven Chapter Fifty-Eight Chapter Fifty-Nine Epilogue Also by Evie Mitchell Connect with Evie Dedication To every woman who has faced her fear and said, “Not today, Satan.” And to my favourite husband, thanks for creating a life with me that is more beautiful than any I could write. You know which scenes are for you. Also by Evie Mitchell Capricorn Cove Series Thunder Thighs Double the D Muffin Top The Mrs. Clause New Year Knew You The Shake-Up Double Breasted As You Wish Beach Party You Sleigh Me Resolution Revolution Meat Load Trunk Junk Archer Sibling Series Just Joshing Thor’s Shipbuilding Series Clean Sweep The X-List Reality Check The Christmas Contract Nameless Souls MC Series Runner Wrath Elliot Security Series Rough Edge Bleeding Edge Knife Edge Other books Reign Anthology Connect with Evie Mitchell Facebook Greedy Readers Book Club Instagram Amazon Bookbub Goodreads Newsletter Bleeding Edge Emmie On run since my teens, my whole life is built around a quick exit. But when a violent attack leaves me vulnerable, I’m forced to rely on the only man that makes me wish I could stay - Lucien Falco. To keep him safe, I can’t let him get close, but the man is determined to break down all my barriers . Lucien Raised in a loving close-knit family, my roots run deep, and I’ve always known what I’ve been looking for in a partner, but no woman has ever come close. Until Emmie. The talented, beautiful hacker is a puzzle I ache to solve. With her life in danger, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect the woman I love. Even if that means losing her in the process. If you love a story that involves a protective Aussie alpha and a kickass heroine mixed with romantic suspense - then this is the book for you! Trigger warning: This is a darker book than my other series and contains some violence and references to abuse. A happily ever after is still guaranteed, but this is a gritty series so proceeded with caution. Chapter One Emmie Present Day They say no good story starts with a salad but mine did. So, here goes. It started with a salad. It wasn’t even a good one like with feta or pear or chicken. No, limp soggy leaves sat sadly in a bowl surrounded by three evil looking prawns, their buggy eyes stared out at me. I hated prawns with the fiery vengeance of a thousand suns. This was one salad I did not want to make friends with. I hadn’t planned or even wanted to go out. Addie, the executive assistant at the security firm where I worked, had pestered me until I’d acquiesced. Addie had style with a capital cool. A total glam babe – I’d never seen her in anything less than full pin-up vintage. Despite my protests, she’d convinced me to attend Thursday night trivia. We were at a small bar just down the street from my office. I’d had a burger for lunch and convinced myself I should make an attempt to be healthy and order something light for dinner. Immediate regret. I reached for the menu, looking back over the description. Yep. No mention of prawns. My nose wrinkled in disgust as I stared at my salad, gingerly poking a crustacean with the tines of my fork. “Just saying, that looks horrible,” Addie commented, taking a giant bite out of her deliciously decadent burger. She moaned, rolling her eyes in exaggerated joy. I grunted, holding up a limp leaf for closer inspection. “Maybe if I–” “Swap it.” The deep voice interrupted. I glanced at my boss, Luc, my cheeks warming as I realised all eyes at our table were now on me. “Umm.” I abruptly stood, the chair scraping awkwardly as I struggled to ignore the chuckles and gentle teasing from my colleagues. I picked up the plate, muttering, “Be right back.” I worked for a private security company. Elliot Securities was fast becoming one of the biggest names in the business. They did everything from private security for the rich and famous through to investigations and software checks. If
