Elyria—land of the matchmaker arranged tri-marriage. Noting the heated desires Hart,
Arik, and Giosetta kept hidden, their matchmaker decided to give them a nudge toward
tying the knot. Kama Sutra cards with erotic suggestions started turning up in surprising
places. Never slow to take a hint, Arik and Hart quickly arranged a hot naughty
encounter for Giosetta that opened their own eyes to all the sexy possibilities in a loving
threesome. Two men, one woman, and a life so hot it rates five fans.
That’s the way it was supposed to be. But somebody is trying to kill them so they’re on
the run, forced to fit their honeymoon in stolen moments while fighting off the Assassin’
s Guild, carnivorous spiders and piecing together the puzzle of why their tri-marriage is
under attack. Only by solving the mystery will they finally find their happily ever after.
Excerpt:
“What do we do?” Arik shoved his hands in his jeans pockets as he stared unseeing out
the window at the gardens. “What do we do?”
“Hire a security team.” Giosetta joined him at the window. “Our security is a joke. We’ve
grown too used to the idea that no one would want to trespass on the estate. But if he
chose, he could walk right in. Does he still have the access codes for the locks?”
“Hell, yes!” He turned back to the table and saw that Hart was already on his
communicator. Grimly, he sat down and studied the tablet in front of him. “We need to
start a new list.”
“Okay.” Giosetta went to the house com-unit and requested refreshments from Matilda.
It was going to be a long afternoon. When she returned to the table, she saw that Arik
had already compiled quite a list. “Where do we begin?”
“A locksmith is on the way. I called in a favor,” Hart announced. “And an officer from
Elyrian Global Security will be here at second hour sub-prime.”
“The cops? Really?”
“Think about it Arik. If your uncle takes over the company, there are real issues for the
government. He’s made no secret about his feelings about our government contracts or
about the conservation of resources. If he had his way, Elyria would be headed well
down the same path of destruction as Earth.”
Arik nodded with resignation. “The cops. Thank you for thinking of it.”
“Don’t worry about that. What else is on your list?” Hart asked intently, as Matilda
appeared with a large cart of refreshments.
“What list?” she inquired curiously.
“Giosetta just pointed out that our tri-marriage has placed us in greater jeopardy than
we realized. We’re trying to compile a list of changes we need to make to ensure our
security.”
“Change the locks.”
“I have that covered. The locksmith should be here in the next hour.” Hart pushed his
communicator across the table. “There’s his info.”
She took the communicator to the house com, plugged it in and transferred the
information. After unplugging it, she returned the com to Hart and started serving a
hearty afternoon tea complete with chocolate scones and strawberries. “Have you
considered hiring a professional driver and security team?”
Hart nodded. “Working on it. An official from EGS will be here at second hour sub-
prime.”
“The locksmith! Lester has connections to at least two of the locksmithing companies,”
Giosetta exclaimed. “I completely forgot about that.”
“Les has his fingers in a lot of pies,” Arik observed dryly. “We’re going to have to be
very careful about who we deal with.”
“The locksmith is safe.” Hart smiled slyly. “He’s a distant cousin of mine. On Earth he
was burglar.” His dark eyes were twinkling. “He retired when his number was picked in
the lottery. Now he’s a full-time head chef at Mackanally’s Chinese Buffet.”
“Henry?” Arik stared at Hart, not quite sure whether to believe him or not. “Henry
Anderson was a burglar?” He tried to envision the six-foot-three broad shouldered
Henry sneaking into houses.
“One of the best.” Hart chuckled. “Henry was never caught. The cop who spent so much
time trying to catch him was picked in the lottery, too. They play cards every Friday
night.”
Giosetta giggled. “I bet that makes for some interesting conversations.”
“Yeah.” Hart sighed. “Back to work. What else do we need to add to the list?”
“Do you know a security company that’s not affiliated with Lester?” Arik tapped keys
on his tablet filling in a lengthening list as he thought of new items to add.
“Lee Chong’s group. Security Solutions. He despises your uncle. I’ll call him.” Hart took
his communicator over to the window to make his call while Giosetta and Arik worked
on the list. While he waited for the connection to Lee, Hart watched a man sidle through
the bushes that lined the wall. A sturdy pack on his back and the strange item he
dragged behind him captured Hart’s curiosity. When Lee came online, Hart described
the man and his behavior. Seconds later, he was dragging Giosetta and Arik through the
kitchen where he collected Matilda, and then urged them down to the underground
tunnel system. “Hurry. Move!”
“Hart, what the hell is wrong?” Arik’s irritable questions were cut off by the thunderous
boom that shook the house. “What the fuck was that?”
“Rocket launcher,” Hart replied tersely. “Guy in the garden.”
A second explosion, followed by the odor of smoke had Arik cursing under his breath
as he herded Matilda and Giosetta toward the far corner. “Come on Hart! Into the
tunnel!”
Hart was yelling into his communicator while he rushed behind them, dodging falling
debris. “Get the fire department!”
They tumbled into the tunnel and Hart slammed the heavy fire door behind them. “Son
of a bitch! Good thing most of my clothes and belongings are still down at the carriage
house. He didn’t get my shoes.”
“What makes you think the carriage house is still standing?” Giosetta asked wryly.
“Oh, no. If he burned up my shoes, then it’s war!”