Hidden Away (A KGI Novel) - Softcover

Banks, Maya

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0425240177 ISBN 13: 9780425240175

Publisher: Berkley, 2011

Synopsis

A man who shoots first and asks questions later falls for the ultimate moving target in this sexy, action-packed KGI novel.

The Kelly Group International (KGI): A super-elite, top secret, family-run business.
Qualifications: High intelligence, rock-hard body, military background.
Mission: Hostage/kidnap victim recovery. Intelligence gathering. Handling jobs the U.S. government can’t...

Most people would take an all-expenses-paid trip to the beach in a heartbeat, but Garrett Kelly only accepts the job keeping tabs on Sarah Daniels—who’s in hiding after witnessing a murder committed by her half-brother—for the chance to take down a person enemy of KGI.

A disciplined soldier like Garrett is trained for so much more than a babysitting gig, but he soon realizes that there’s more to Sarah than what’s in her file. Garrett is considering seduction as a tactical maneuver, but when he glimpses Sarah’s dark past, he feels an urgent desire to keep her safe—even after she disappears on him. Garrett doesn’t know exactly who, or what, Sarah’s running from. Whatever it is, she’s running for her life...

About this title

About the Author

Maya Banks is the #1 USA Today and #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Surrender trilogy, the Breathless trilogy, the Sweet series, the Colters’ Legacy novels, and The Enforcers series. She lives in the South with her husband and three children and other assorted babies, such as her two Bengal kitties and a calico who’s been with her as long as her youngest child. She’s an avid reader of romance and loves to dish books with her fans and anyone else who’ll listen!

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

 

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 41

 

Teaser chapter

Praise for the novels of Maya Banks

SWEET TEMPTATION

“Sizzle, sex appeal, and sensuality! Maya Banks has it all ... This book is on the inferno side of hot and it shows on every page ... You will not want to miss out on this story.”

—Romance Junkies

 

“An enjoyable tale of [a] second chance at life.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

 

SWEET SEDUCTION

“Maya Banks never fails to tell compelling tales that evoke an emotional reaction in readers ... Kept me on the edge of my seat.”

—Romance Junkies

 

SWEET PERSUASION

“Surpassed all my expectations. Incredibly intense and complex characters, delicious conflict, and explosive sex scenes that fairly melt the print off the pages, Sweet Persuasion will have Maya Banks fans, new and existing alike, lasciviously begging for more.”

—Romantic Times (4½ stars)

 

“Ignites the pages ... Readers will relish Maya Banks’s exciting erotic romance.”

—The Best Reviews

“Well written and evocative.”

—Dear Author

BE WITH ME

“I absolutely loved it! Simply wonderful writing. There’s a new star on the rise and her name is Maya Banks.”

—Sunny, national bestselling author of Lucinda, Dangerously

 

“Fascinating erotic romantic suspense.”

—Midwest Book Review

 

SWEET SURRENDER

“This story ran my heart through the wringer more than once.”

—CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

“From page one, I was drawn into the story and literally could not stop reading until the last page.”

—The Romance Studio

 

“Maya Banks’s story lines are always full of situations that captivate readers, but it’s the emotional pull you experience which brings the story to life.”

—Romance Junkies

 

FOR HER PLEASURE

“[It] is the ultimate in pleasurable reading. Enticing, enchanting and sinfully sensual, I couldn’t have asked for a better anthology.”

—Joyfully Reviewed

“Full of emotional situations, lovable characters and kickbutt story lines that will leave you desperate for more ... For readers who like spicy romances with a suspenseful element—it’s definitely a must read!”

—Romance Junkies

“Totally intoxicating, For Her Pleasure is one of those reads you won’t be forgetting anytime soon.”

—The Road to Romance

Berkley titles by Maya Banks

FOR HER PLEASURE
SWEET SURRENDER
BE WITH ME
SWEET PERSUASION
SWEET SEDUCTION
SWEET TEMPTATION

 

THE DARKEST HOUR
NO PLACE TO RUN
HIDDEN AWAY

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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South Africa

 

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

HIDDEN AWAY

 

A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author

 

PRINTING HISTORY

Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / March 2011

 

Copyright © 2011 by Maya Banks.

Excerpt from Breaking Point by Pamlea Clare

copyright © by Pamela Clare.

 

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

 

ISBN: 9781101477403

 

BERKLEY® SENSATION

Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

BERKLEY® SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

 

 

To Cindy Hwang, for her never-ending patience with this book and with me as I struggled to get it just right.

 

To Kim Whalen, who always goes to bat for me and tells me endlessly not to stress. I still stress, but you make it so much easier for me. Thank you.

 

To the MB Readers, Annmarie, Valerie, Fatin and Lillie. You guys are the best. I totally don’t deserve you.

 

And finally, for T.J., who shares all the ups and downs, highs and lows, and always offers me encouragement and support when I need it the most. I truly couldn’t do this without you. You’re absolutely the most integral part of my life and my career. Love you always.

CHAPTER 1

THERE were any number of men who would do any job Marcus Lattimer wanted done. He’d amassed a fortune and countless connections during his lifetime, most of which were steeped in murky shades of gray. The men directly employed by Lattimer were absolute in their loyalty—he would tolerate no less—but he never allowed himself to fully trust anyone.

Some jobs ... Some jobs demanded personal satisfaction. This one was a matter of honor. Others might argue that Marcus had none. By their definition, they’d be right. But he was bound by a fierce loyal code. His honor was what mattered.

Allen Cross was an arrogant, coattail-riding asshole. The world would be a better place without his kind of filth, and Marcus was determined that the task would be completed this day.

Marcus attached the silencer and tucked the gun into the waist of his slacks. Drawing the Armani suit coat closed, he left the confines of his car and instructed his driver to wait. He walked at an unhurried pace toward the entrance of the high-rise that housed Cross Enterprises. Around him the city lights twinkled in the darkening of dusk, and headlights from passing cars bounced along the alleyways.

The streets were mostly empty and the building barren of the weekday horde of employees who scurried in and out with regularity. He paused a short distance from the entrance and checked his watch. The security guard that manned the front entrance on the weekends was a family guy and, like most family guys, had a moderate amount of debt and stretched his budget from payday to payday.

After tonight, the guard wouldn’t have the financial worries of others in his class. Marcus had seen to that. Right now, the guard would take a strategic break from his post, and at the same moment, the surveillance cameras would go down.

Money bought many things. Loyalty. Disloyalty. A blind eye. A moment’s distraction. Fifteen minutes was all Marcus needed to rid the world of Allen Cross.

Cross was a creature of habit. He came into his offices every Saturday after seven and remained until nine P.M., when his car service collected him and drove him to the same restaurant ten blocks away. He liked the few hours of solitude to go over paperwork—but what he perhaps liked the most was the freedom to victimize a helpless woman with impunity.

Marcus’s jaw tightened in fury. Predictability killed a man. As Cross was about to find out.

Marcus rode the elevator to the twenty-first floor and stepped onto the cheap, fake Italian marble flooring, his shoes issuing a faint echo as he walked through the empty reception area.

The door to Cross’s office was ajar, and a faint light shone through the crack. Marcus pushed at the door and let it slide soundlessly open. Cross was behind his desk, kicked back in his chair, a glass of wine in one hand as he read a sheaf of papers with the other.

Marcus watched, content to wait for his prey to become aware he was hunted.

After a moment, Cross set his glass down and leaned forward. He halted in mid-motion, and his head snapped up, his gaze locked on Marcus. Cross’s eyes widened in alarm and then he recovered, a sneer rolling over his lips.

“Who are you and what the hell are you doing in my office?”

Marcus strolled forward, his expression purposely bland as he loosened his coat. Cross rose, his hand inching toward the intercom on his desk.

“Get out or I’ll summon security.”

Marcus smiled. “I think you’ll find him unavailable.”

A flicker of unease skittered across Cross’s face when Marcus continued to smile. Marcus pulled out the gun, enjoying the slide of the stock over his palm. He thumbed the safety, and leveled the barrel at Cross’s chest.

“Would you prefer to die sitting or standing?”

Cross blanched, and he staggered, his hands slapping the polished mahogany of his executive desk. “What do you want?” he asked hoarsely. “Money? I have money. Just tell me how much. Anything. I’ll give you anything.”

A sneer twisted Marcus’s lips. “You couldn’t afford my shoes.”

His finger tightened on the trigger, and he watched the awareness in Cross’s eyes, the panicked realization that he was going to die.

Cross lunged sideways, and the sound of the bullet smacking into his chest resonated through the spacious office. Cross hit the floor, his arm outstretched in desperation. Blood seeped through the white silk shirt, growing as he gasped for breath.

As much as Marcus wanted to watch the life slowly fade from the bastard’s eyes, he had to finish this now. He raised the gun and aimed between Cross’s eyes. He saw the finality, the gray acceptance of death in his victim’s gaze. He pulled the trigger and then turned away, satisfied that justice had been served.

 

 

THE cab pulled to an abrupt halt outside the building where Sarah Daniels had worked for a period of six months. She hadn’t been back in a year. The mere thought of walking into Cross Enterprises made her physically ill.

She flung a twenty at the cabbie and ignored his offer to give her change. Clumsily opening the door, she bolted from the cab and entered the high-rise at a dead run.

The lobby was empty. Not even the security guard was at his post. Was she too late? What would she have even said to the man? That her brother was here to kill Stanley Cross?

She bolted toward the elevator and pounded on the up button, praying it would be here. She heaved a sigh of relief and threw herself through the doors as they slid open.

She jammed her thumb on the button for the twenty-first floor and then hit the close door button repeatedly.

Hurry. Hurry. Hurry.

She had to be on time. She wouldn’t let Marcus go through with it.

Stupid. So stupid.

She should have known. She’d seen the rage in Marcus’s eyes. He’d been way too quiet. Too collected as he’d calmly told her that he was taking her away. She hadn’t argued. She’d allowed him to make all the plans. All the decisions. She hadn’t even known where they were going, only that Marcus’s private jet was fueled and waiting for them.

Finally the elevator doors slid open, and she rushed into the reception area and turned in the direction of Allen’s office. She saw Allen’s door wide open, saw Marcus’s profile and then watched as Marcus tucked the gun back into his waistband.

Her horrified gaze tracked downward to see Allen Cross lying on the floor, blood staining his pristine white shirt.

Her hand flew to her mouth and she backed hastily away.

Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.

She was too late. She hadn’t gotten here in time.

Allen was dead. Marcus had killed him.

Oh God.

Nausea welled in her throat. She nearly tripped on her feet as she steadily backpedaled. She had to get away. The police would be here soon. Wouldn’t they? Surely someone couldn’t just walk off the streets and kill someone in an office building.

She turned and ran back toward the elevator, praying it was still there. She knew that at least two were taken out of service on the weekends, but that left two working on this side of the building.

She jabbed at the down button with her thumb and held her breath, prepared to make a run for the stairs if she had to. The door slid open and she fell over herself getting in. She punched the button for the ground floor and turned just as the doors started to close, only to find herself staring at Marcus’s frozen expression several feet away.

“Sarah—”

The doors closed, cutting him off. The elevator descended, sending Sarah’s stomach into even more turmoil.

She simply couldn’t process what she’d just witnessed. Marcus had killed Allen Cross. She couldn’t even muster any regret. Only fear. Fear for Marcus. How could he think he could get away with something so bold?

The elevator came to a stop and she shoved at the doors, trying to make them open quicker. She pitched headlong into the lobby, stumbling to gain her footing. Just as she righted herself, a hand curled around her arm and yanked her upright.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

She gasped and stared into the eyes of evil.

Stanley Cr...

Edition details

• Publisher: Berkley
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0425240177
• ISBN 13: 9780425240175
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336