Read EDGE OF SHADOWS: The Shadow Ops Finale (Shadow Ops, Book # 3) Online
Authors: CJ Lyons,Cynthia Cooke
Tags: #fiction/romance/suspense
EDGE OF SHADOWS
The Shadow Ops Finale
CJ Lyons
and Cynthia Cooke
Praise for New York Times Bestseller CJ Lyons:
"Everything a great thriller should be—action packed, authentic, and intense." ~#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child
"A compelling new voice in thriller writing…I love how the characters come alive on every page." ~
New York Times
bestselling author Jeffery Deaver
"Top Pick! A fascinating and intense thriller." ~ RT Book Reviews
"An intense, emotional thriller…(that) climbs to the edge of intensity." ~National Examiner
"A perfect blend of romance and suspense. My kind of read." ~#
1 New York Times
Bestselling author Sandra Brown
"Highly engaging characters, heart-stopping scenes…one great rollercoaster ride that will not be stopping anytime soon." ~Bookreporter.com
"
Adrenalin pumping." ~The Mystery Gazette
"Riveting." ~Publishers Weekly Beyond Her Book
Lyons "is a master within the genre." ~Pittsburgh Magazine
"Will leave you breathless and begging for more." ~Romance Novel TV
"A great fast-paced read….Not to be missed." ~Book Addict
"
Breathtakingly fast-paced." ~Publishers Weekly
"Simply superb…riveting drama…a perfect ten." ~Romance Reviews Today
"Characters with beating hearts and three dimensions." ~Newsday
"A pulse-pounding adrenalin rush!" ~Lisa Gardner
"Packed with adrenalin." ~David Morrell
"…Harrowing, emotional, action-packed and brilliantly realized." ~Susan Wiggs
"Explodes on the page…I absolutely could not put it down." ~Romance Readers' Connection
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2012, CJ Lyons
Legacy Books
ISBN: 978-1-939038-10-4
Cover art: Cory Clubb
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Library of Congress Case # 1-273031561
EDGE OF SHADOWS
The Shadow Ops Finale
CJ Lyons
and Cynthia Cooke
Introduction
Dear Readers,
Thank you for your patience in waiting for this, the finale of the Shadow Ops trilogy.
If this is the first Shadow Ops book that you’ve read, you should know this is the third in the trilogy and does not stand alone. But, the first two books are on sale for a limited time—in fact, you can pick up all three Shadow Ops books for the price of one if you buy them today!
The first book is CHASING SHADOWS and can be found
HERE
The second book is LOST IN SHADOWS and you can buy it
HERE
I hope you enjoy Rose and Billy’s story as well as those of the rest of the Shadow Ops family! If you do, please leave a review and consider one of my other series such as the
Hart and Drake
medical suspense series (for those of you who enjoy a touch of romance with your thrillers) or the
Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers
.
As always,
Prologue
Two years ago
Billy Price juggled a pizza in one hand while dangling a six-pack of Yuengling from the other as he turned the key in the lock and nudged his door open with his hip. He stepped into the dark foyer of his townhouse, kicking the door shut as he reached for the light switch with the hand that held the beer.
The instant the light flicked on, he realized his mistake. He straightened, senses on alert, his well-trained heart barely shifting gears despite the rush of adrenaline. He swung the six-pack toward the intruder behind the door, but he was a half second too late.
Icy cold scurried down his neck as the barrel of a semiautomatic nudged him. He froze mid-swing. The beer dangled from his fist in midair, pizza box still balanced in his other palm.
“Been a long time, Billy.”
Billy sniffed the air and felt more than heard her move behind him. Her body pressed against his as she efficiently patted him down and removed his weapons, a Beretta nine millimeter and a knife. Her voice was different now, but he knew this woman. Knew he didn’t stand a chance.
The last seen he’d Rose Prospero was when he’d abandoned her in a cesspool of a former Soviet state known as Razgravia—affectionately dubbed “Rat’s Assvia” by Billy’s Delta team.
“Why are you here, Rose?”
Instead of answering, she nudged him forward, her weapon never wavering. “Your dinner’s getting cold.”
He moved down the dark hallway. She turned on lights as they went, eliminating the possibility of a sneak attack. Not that he didn’t consider it—he knew half-a-dozen ways to thwart an attacker positioned behind him—but he wasn’t in the mood to take a bullet in the head. Not from a friend.
At least, he hoped she still considered him a friend. If not, he could damn well understand why.
“I’m sorry about what happened in Razgravia,” he said. Regret filled his voice, and he didn’t shy from it. He hoped she heard it. Needed her to hear it.
She stiffened behind him, obviously surprised and caught off guard by his words. Apologies weren’t in Delta’s vocabulary...and especially not Billy’s. Not usually. But this was different.
“I had no choice but to leave you.” He’d had two wounded men and a civilian to evac, and his orders specifically forbade him from interfering with the CIA’s op. Even if it meant abandoning the CIA officer who’d risked her life to save him and his men.
Not that she’d asked him to take her with him. But, of course, neither of them could’ve known what would happen next. Even now, Rose had no idea how much he knew about her captivity. He was one of probably only five or six men alive who were privy to the truth about what had happened after Grigor, the psychopathic Razgravian dictator, captured her.
She kicked a chair away from the kitchen table, a beautifully streamlined piece of cherry crafted by Pennsylvania Amish. The matching chairs were elegant, soft curves and narrow legs he could use as weapons if need be. He hoped it didn’t come to that. Wondered if he could go through with it—hurt Rose to save himself.
No. He’d already caused her enough pain.
“Sit. You know the drill.” Her voice was low, smoky as a good single malt. He might’ve described it as seductive if his memory wasn’t filled with her old voice, a clear alto. A vision of her—head flung back, laughing, dark hair flashing in the light of a campfire while they did a meet-and-greet with the local insurgents—flooded over him, bringing with it a sense that maybe the brass had been right: He was getting too damn old for this.
No. Not old. Just tired as hell. He sank into the chair, propelled as much by the weight of regret as her pistol. Get in, get out, get the job done. That was how Delta operated.