Honor Guard
Series
Resolutions
by Teri Riggs
DEA
agent Eve Taylor has had her fill of alpha males. When Resolutions’ operative
and former lover, Dillon “Mac” McKenna, threatened her hard-earned
independence, she ran. On a mission to gather evidence against a Colombian
drug-lord, Eve discovers the drug-lord is helping terrorists plan an attack on
American soil. Before she can escape with the vital information, she’s captured
and comes face to face with her mortality…
As a teen, Mac watched his family fall apart after his mother died doing
dangerous U.N. work. The possibility of losing Eve to a mission ignited an
overwhelming need to protect her. When he forced her to choose him or her job,
she walked away. Two years later, it seems all his nightmares have come true
and he’s tasked with rescuing her from a Colombian prison. Mac has never
stopped loving Eve, but does he dare risk his heart when he’s so terrified of
losing…
On the run, Mac and Eve must learn to trust each other again in order to stay
alive.
Note: Resolutions is a private black ops agency specializing in the
near-impossible extractions of kidnap victims, hostages, and all forms of
intelligence other agencies have failed to retrieve.
Resolutions
Romantic
Suspense
Honor
Guard Series
What
Readers are saying:
"I
love the sexual tension between Eve and Mac. The hot, steamy Colombian jungle
makes a great backdrop for a love story that begins with two ex-lovers on the
run."
-K.
Kishpaugh, Amazon
"The
action and suspense were nonstop. Eve was believable as a tough and persistent
female protagonist. And I liked how she and Mac's characters developed
throughout the story.”
-Marie,
Amazon
“Nonstop
action and plenty of sexual tension between the lead characters. A quick,
suspenseful read. I would recommend this to my friends.”
-Lady
A, Amazon
“A
good read with plenty of action. I liked the gun battle scenes. They were well
paced and for fairly accurate. Mendoza was played well and I enjoyed Mac and
Eve's determination to stop him.”
-Cooper,
Amazon
About
the Author:
Teri Riggs was destined to be a writer. As a
small girl she didn’t read bedtime stories, she made up her own. Who needed
Little Red Riding Hood or The Three Little Pigs when there were so many great
tales bouncing around in her head? When she grew up and became a mother to
three little girls, she continued the tradition of making up bedtime stories.
On the occasions she chose to tell conventional fairytales, Teri usually gave
them a bit of tweaking here and there or added a new ending. Her girls loved
it.
After her daughters had the nerve to actually grow up and leave home, Teri discovered she had a passion for writing and jumped right in. It came as no surprise she chose to write mysteries and happily-ever-after’s since that’s the genres she loves to read.
Teri lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband, one of her daughters and two dogs that seem to think they rule the world. And some days Teri thinks maybe they do.
After her daughters had the nerve to actually grow up and leave home, Teri discovered she had a passion for writing and jumped right in. It came as no surprise she chose to write mysteries and happily-ever-after’s since that’s the genres she loves to read.
Teri lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband, one of her daughters and two dogs that seem to think they rule the world. And some days Teri thinks maybe they do.
Contact
Details:
Website: http://teririggs.com
Email: teririggs@gmail.com
Twitter: @TeriLRiggs / Blog:
Enjoy the following excerpt for
RESOLUTIONS:
Beefy hands wrenched Eve awake from a fevered
sleep, pulled her from the cell, and shoved her into a musty-smelling hallway.
I’m being moved? A guard pushed her with one hand, keeping a tight grip on an
AK-47 rifle with his other.
Her shoulder throbbed in perfect cadence with
the pains shooting through her broken wrist, and she had one badass headache
from being punched in the face a few too many times. Using her good hand, she
walked fingers across one cheek, then the other. The right side was totally
numb. Her eye had swollen shut, and she couldn’t see a damn thing out of it.
She ran her tongue across her teeth and tasted the tart, copper flavor of
blood. Three teeth loose. Well, at least they’re still in place.
In spite of the relentless pain, she stayed
determined to survive whatever Mendoza dished out. She wasn’t a quitter. No,
sir. Duncan Falls, Iowa didn’t grow quitters. Eve ignored the constant ache in
her ribs, courtesy of a guard’s overzealous kick, and took in a deep breath.
She willed herself to stay alert, to keep pushing. Escape. Third times the
charm.
Eve slapped the guard’s dirty hand. “Hey,
Pedro, stop being so damned pushy. Where we going anyway? We got a hot date
I’ve forgotten about?”
He looked puzzled then shoved her again.
“Don’t understand English, do you, Diego? Bet
you understand this.” Eve drove her elbow into the guard’s face. Thick rubbery
cartilage gave, and she whooped triumphantly.
Blood squirted from his nose and he screamed.
Eve stepped back. “Yep, I’m pretty sure you
understand that.”
Unable to grab the guard’s assault rifle, she
clutched her injured shoulder, and took off in a slow jog, no longer able to
push any harder.
Her escape was short lived.Price: 2.99
***Resolutions was a finalist in the prestigious Daphne Du Maurier contest
He looked at Eve. She’d blended into the shadows. Vanished
like a puff of smoke in the wind, her breathing not even loud enough to give
her away. Heavy steps paused outside the door. He went on alert, his body
shooting high-octane adrenaline to all parts. The doorknob jiggled, but the
door didn’t open and the footsteps continued on their journey. Mac let out the
breath he held and let his shoulders go slack. His blood began to circulate at
normal speed again and his trigger finger relaxed.
Eve slipped from her hiding place and sauntered back to the
desk. She picked the laptop up and sat it back on the
desk, her movements guarded. The glow from the screen lit her face once more.
She radiated determination and confidence. Lips, barely moving, formed silent
words while she skimmed the monitor’s display. Her right hand floated to her
injured shoulder and rubbed gently.
Mac lightly stroked her hair. “You want to finish our talk?”
Her hand dropped to her side and she straightened. “Not now.
Let’s get this finished. The download’s complete.” She removed the flash drive
and put it in her pocket. “Give me a sec to download the wipe drive program.”
Mac said, “He’s going to be all levels of pissed.”
“Yeah, isn’t it great?” A grin tweaked her lips, exactly
what Mac needed to see. He really did like the way the woman worked. Not to
mention the way she looked. The way she smelled and tasted. The way her body
fit beneath his. But he needed to focus on the business at hand.
“I’m doing a seven-level wipe of the computer, a wipe so
deep nobody will ever be able to reconstruct data from this puppy. I helped
build this program while I was still in tech support. It’s bad-ass.” She
sounded happier than she had in a long time.
“Mendoza’s going to find a business is hard to run without proper
files.”
Eve worked a few more minutes before shutting down the
laptop. She closed the lid, wiped her hands together in an exaggerated gesture.
“Done. Now all we gotta do is pray the arrogant ass hasn’t backed his files
up.”
Mac said, “Not his style.”
“I’m banking on it. Let’s get out of here.”
“Copy that.”
Eve entered the code to unlock the door and Mac cracked it
open. The foyer remained empty. They made their way to the stairway and hurried
down, keeping their footsteps quick and silent. Halfway through the underground
hallway, Mac spotted a group of three, maybe four men running full-throttle
toward them. He fought the need to push Eve behind him.
He offered her a swaggering smile. “Okay, Eve. Let’s kick
some ass.”
Eve darted to the right, Mac to the left. A shot pinged past
her, ricocheting off the concrete wall, showering her with pulverized gravel
that stung her skin like a son of a bitch. Aiming the AK-47, she pulled the
trigger, waited for the recoil and blast. Nothing happened. Damn. The gun
jammed. She tossed it and dodged the next spray of bullets.
She reached the shooter before he had a chance to fire
another round. Eve took a deep breath, grunted, and swept her leg in a graceful
arc, snagging him behind the knees. He twisted in midair and hit the ground
facedown with a loud thud. His handgun skittered across the floor.
Using her weight, Eve dropped on both knees and landed solid
on the man’s turned neck. Vertebra snapped and crunched beneath her, and the
garbled hiss of his last breath signaled she’d won this round. He went lax.
One down. Two to go.
Eve tried to steal a glance at Mac and the man he grappled
with. A hit to her back knocked her off balance. The air rushed from her lungs.
Her face met the floor, then her body, and jarred her injured shoulder. Pain
screamed in two-part harmony and her vision tunneled. White spots danced before
her.
“You bastard.” She tried to get control of her breathing
again, and refocus on the target at hand. “You are so about to die.”
She rolled to her side first, onto her knees, and up. Once
standing, Eve landed a forceful blow to the man’s gonads. He doubled over and
clutched himself. Using all the strength in her good arm, she gripped his
greasy hair and jerked down while kneeing his face. A warm flow of blood from
his nose soaked her knee. The man sobbed, but managed to get in a gut punch. He
latched on to her waist. Eve
shook off the hit and tried to break free. She curled around
him and saw the M9 Beretta tucked in his waistband.
“Fuck this.” She reached over his back, pulled the gun,
planted the muzzle against the side of his head and squeezed the trigger. He
wobbled like a Weeble for a couple seconds, then dropped like a bag of marbles.
Two down.
Acutely aware of the sound of fists hitting skin, she found
Mac fighting another guard. Locked in battle near another stairwell, the man
held Mac and delivered repeated blows to his right side. Eve raced toward them,
ready to help. Instead, she got an up-close view of Mac head butting the man.
The guard staggered back, wiping blood from his face. When he charged, Mac side
stepped and grabbed the guard’s throat. With a snap of his opposite hand, he
broke the man’s neck, and he toppled into a pile at Mac’s feet.
He stepped over the carcass and took Eve into his arms.
His warmth soothed, but there wasn’t time for comfort. Using
all the willpower she could muster, she jerked away from him and took a step
back.
“Don’t, Eve. Don’t turn away from me.” He reached for her.
“I’m not. I just think we need to clear the compound and San
Carlos Lucas while we still can.” She eyed the mini Uzi Mac had taken from
Carlos laying near the corpse of the man he’d just taken down. “Grab your
weapon and let’s go. Unless we come across Mendoza, we’re finished here.
There’s no time—”
Shots rang out. Eve and Mac hit the ground and crawled to a
sheltered area behind an arched beam. She ran her hand over herself. She hadn’t
been hit. Her focus turned to Mac.
Mac, are you okay?”
“Depends on your definition of okay.”
“Oh, God.” Eve heard his heavy breathing and panic rose up
her throat. “Please, tell me you’re not hit.”
“Sorry to disappoint. Don’t worry though, it’s just a graze.
I’ve suffered worse cuts shaving. We need to be more concerned about finding
the shooter right now.”
Shit. The beam wasn’t big enough to protect them. Eve
steadied her weapon in front of her, then around the beam. She peeked out and
back again. She inched her way into a standing position and helped Mac pull
himself up.
“Where are you hit?”
“My side.”
“Damn, Mac. You’re supposed to avoid those bullets when they
come at you. Avoid them like a two dollar hooker with a bottle of cheap wine.”
“And you know all about two dollar hookers?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” Eve couldn’t tell if he was grunting in
pain or laughing.
“I’ll try to do better next time.”
“You do that.”
“Miss Taylor, surely you’re not leaving the compound without
saying a proper goodbye.”
She stilled. Mendoza’s cold, menacing voice cut right
through her. Her fingers caressed the Beretta. She had to think. Needed a new
plan.
Mac moved closer and gripped her arm, his touch solid and
reassuring. She turned her head and whispered, “Getting away from this place is
turning into a real pain in the ass.”
Mac said, “Got any ideas?”
Eve heard the tremor in Mac’s voice, hoped she wouldn’t have
to make the decision to leave him behind to ensure the intel reached IDEA in
one piece. “We did say we wanted the bastard. Now, I guess we get our chance at
his ugly ass.” She wanted Mendoza dead.
“I assume we’re about to go in guns-ablazin’.” He shifted,
looked uncomfortable in spite of his joking. “Hopefully, the onslaught of
wake-the-dead shots that’ve been fired will bring Cade running.”
“That’d make three, instead of two, against Mendoza and how
many?” Assuming Cade wasn’t already dead, but she wouldn’t share that suspicion
with Mac.
“I’m sure Mendoza’s got a shit load of back up with him.”
Mac sounded winded. “How many rounds you got?”
She popped the 9mm’s magazine, took a quick look, and
slapped the ammo back in. “Thirteen. You?”
He jerked his head toward the mini Uzi he’d dropped. “You’re
on your own, baby.” He paused and then added, “Unless of course you’d consider
giving me the Beretta? I’ll lay down some cover while you make your way out of
this place with the flash drive. Who cares which one of us carries the package
out?”
“Don’t even go there, Mac. How about I lay—”
“Forget it. We stay together,” Mac said firmly.
“Agreed. We stay together. For now.” Eve would re-evaluate
if Mac’s injury began to slow them down, although she had a feeling she’d not
be leaving him behind.
“Then fire when you’re ready. I’ll go for the Uzi.”
Mac shifted away from her, the space behind her going from
warm to cold. He settled into position, ready to hustle when she fired. Eve
peered around the beam and drew a steady bead on Mendoza’s heart.
“Put the gun down, doll face.”
“Seriously?” Eve weighed her options.
“I said drop the gun, Eve. If you fire, I’ll kill McKenna.”
“Danny,” she whispered. Damn him. Her fist tightened
on the Beretta, and her mind waged an internal war before she reluctantly
lowered her arm, but didn’t drop the gun.
Mac filled the space to her side, his warmth instantly
returning. He leaned forward and the side of his face touched hers. Heat
radiated from him. His lips brushed against her ear.
“Got any other ideas, baby?”
My 4 Star Review
I received the book from the Touring Host for an honest review.
I received the book from the Touring Host for an honest review.
With strong and believable characters, the author kept your
attention throughout the book. With daring acts of heroism, torture and greed,
this was an action pack book from beginning to end. The heated encounters
between our two main characters kept you wondering if the two will
finally commit.
Both equally stubborn, headstrong and deeply in love as they had
to learn how to compromise and work together to safe the day.
Eve Taylor was not willing to be told what to do, finding her own
way as she trained to be a highly skilled agent working for the DEA. Running
from four alpha male brothers and then Mac, she knew she could stand on her own
feet without their constant protection.
She was tough, lethal and strong. Her time in the cells of her
tormentor made you realize that she could handle much more than the average
woman could. There was just no stopping her.
Dillon McKenna or Mac was in love with this woman, although he
refused to admit it after a two-year separation. He wanted her safe, away from
the danger zones of the world, the reason she walked away in the first place. His
past was a constant reminder that he was not willing to compromise at this
point.
When they met, again under gruesome circumstances he knew that he
had to compromise.
With pride, he watched as she rose from the sick bed and completed
the operation needed to shut the evil down.
Miguel Mendoza was the epitome of evil. A drug lord with no
thought of everyone's life but his own. Seeking revenge after Mac had wounded
him some time ago during another operation that cost him more than his leg.
It was a battle of wills at the end, who would win? The good guys
or the bad guys.
The pendulum was always shifting to keep the suspense throughout
the story. With startling revelations and heated pages as these two met, it was
an enjoyable read and a book I will recommend.
Character Interview Miguel Mendoza
- You have many titles, and I can
name a few but I do not think you would love that, so what title would you
give yourself? Master of the World…No, Master of the Universe.
- What makes
a good villain, in your opinion? Or is it a question for the author, after
all she did create you? Teri gave
my character plenty of pure evil. I’m greedy, controlling, and like the
Grinch, I have no heart. I’m a manipulative, shallow, pathological liar. I
kill without remorse, shame, or guilt. I am a perfect villain and everyone
fears me.
- Were
you always the bad guy or bully, growing up? I’ve always been a sociopath. Growing up, I was the
playground bully in school.
- You were cold-hearted and evil
personified in this book, why did you do these things? Because I could. I enjoy a little torture every now and then.
Doesn’t everyone? Well, maybe not my victims.
- Did
you like killing people? Yes. I love
the look on a person’s face when he realizes he’s a dead man—or she’s
knows she’s a dead woman. It’s a powerful feeling to decide when someone
will die.
- It seems you love to rule by
fear, did it make you feel superior?
I am superior and my
underlings know this. Fear keeps them in line.
- Why did
you need all this power and money? I mean you had everything and more but
it was never enough, what motivated you? A
man can never have too much money or power. It’s a game and one I like to
win.
- You are
surrounded with the best that money could buy, but surrounded yourself
with people who failed you constantly, was it part of the power struggle? Did
it elevate you? I keep my
weak, sniveling brother-in-law because my sister and her bebes wants that.
(See I do have a heart!) I kill everyone else who fails me.
- You hate Dillon McKenna, but over
a leg wound, I doubt. What really piss you off about this guy, after all
he is the good guy? Mr. Good Guy betrayed me and I am not a
man easily fooled. But in the end, it was me who let it happen. So maybe
this is why I hate him. No one makes a fool of Miguel Mendoza!
- Did you had feelings for Eve
Taylor or was it just another person you could own? She is a very beautiful woman and I like to own beautiful things. Plus,
she would have been fun to break, to bend to my will. Ah, but it was not
to be.
- Why did you have to torture her
the way you did? It was inhuman. She would not tell me what I wanted to
know. Miss Taylor should not have trespassed on my compound and to steal
what belongs to me. Besides, it was mucho fun!
- At the end this woman you
love/hate brought you down, how did you feel about that? I’m not a happy man. After all, it is very hot in Hell!
Giveaway:
One ebook of Resolutions
Link to tour schedule
Lynelle,
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting Mendoza stop by today!
Teri
It was a pleasure Teri, even if he was obnoxious and arrogant. :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by and I wish you all the best.