Rescuing Sadie: A Delta Force Heroes/Masters and Mercenaries Novella (Lexi Blake Crossover Collection Book 6) Read online

  Rescuing Sadie

  By Susan Stoker

  A Delta Force Heroes/Masters and Mercenaries Novella

  Introduction by Lexi Blake

  Rescuing Sadie

  A Delta Force Heroes/Masters and Mercenaries Novella

  Copyright 2018 Susan Stoker

  ISBN: 978-1-945920-81-3

  Published by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated

  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.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.

  Book Description

  Rescuing Sadie: A Delta Force Heroes/Masters and Mercenaries Novella

  by Susan Stoker

  Sadie Jennings was used to being protected. As the niece of Sean Taggart, and the receptionist at McKay-Taggart Group, she was constantly surrounded by Alpha men more than capable, and willing, to lay down their life for her. But when she visits her friend in San Antonio, and acts on suspicious activity at Milena’s workplace, Sadie puts both of them in the crosshairs of a madman. After several harrowing weeks, her friend is now safe, but for Sadie, the repercussions of her rash act linger on.

  Chase Jackson, no stranger to dangerous situations as a captain in the US Army, has volunteered himself as Sadie's bodyguard. He fell head over heels for the beautiful woman the first time he laid eyes on her. With a Delta Force team at his back, he reassures the Taggart's that Sadie will be safe. But when the situation in San Antonio catches up with her, Chase has to use everything he's learned over his career to keep his promise...and to keep Sadie alive long enough to officially make her his.

  About Susan Stoker

  New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Tennessee where she lives, but this all-American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, Indiana, and Texas. She’s married to a retired Army man who now gets to follow her around the country.

  She debuted her first series in 2014 and quickly followed that up with the SEAL of Protection series, which solidified her love of writing and creating stories readers can get lost in.

  If you enjoyed this book, or any book, please consider leaving a review. It’s appreciated by authors more than you’ll know.

  * * * *

  To sign up for Susan’s Newsletter go to: www.StokerAces.com/contact.html

  Or text: STOKER to 24587 for text alerts on your mobile device

  Also from Susan Stoker

  Click to purchase

  Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Series

  Justice for Mackenzie

  Justice for Mickie

  Justice for Corrie

  Justice for Laine

  Shelter for Elizabeth

  Justice for Boone

  Shelter for Adeline

  Shelter for Sophie

  Justice for Erin

  Justice for Milena

  Shelter for Blythe (June 2018)

  Justice for Hope (Sept 2018)

  Shelter for Quinn (TBA)

  Shelter for Koren (TBA)

  Shelter for Penelope (TBA)

  Delta Force Heroes Series:

  Rescuing Rayne

  Assisting Aimee (loosely related to this series)

  Rescuing Emily

  Rescuing Harley

  Marrying Emily

  Rescuing Kassie

  Rescuing Bryn

  Rescuing Casey

  Rescuing Sadie

  Rescuing Wendy (May 2018)

  Rescuing Mary (Oct 2018)

  Ace Security Series:

  Claiming Grace

  Claiming Alexis

  Claiming Bailey

  Claiming Felicity

  Mountain Mercenaries Series:

  Defending Allye (Aug 2018)

  Defending Chloe (Dec 2018)

  With more to come!!

  SEAL of Protection Series:

  Protecting Caroline

  Protecting Alabama

  Protecting Alabama’s Kids

  Protecting Fiona

  Marrying Caroline (novella)

  Protecting Summer

  Protecting Cheyenne

  Protecting Jessyka

  Protecting Julie (novella)

  Protecting Melody

  Protecting the Future

  Protecting Alabama’s Kids (novella)

  Protecting Kiera (novella)

  Protecting Dakota

  Stand-Alone:

  The Guardian Mist

  Nature’s Rift

  A Princess for Cale

  A Moment in Time

  Lambert’s Lady

  Beyond Reality Series:

  Outback Hearts

  Flaming Hearts

  Frozen Hearts

  Writing as Annie George:

  Stepbrother Virgin (erotic novella)

  An Introduction to the Lexi Blake Crossover Collection

  Who doesn’t love a crossover? I know that for me there’s always been something magical about two fictional words blending and meeting in a totally unexpected way. For years the only medium that has truly done it well and often is comic books. Superman vs. Batman in a fight to the finish. Marvel’s Infinite Universe. There’s something about two crazy worlds coming together that almost makes them feel more real. Like there’s this brilliant universe filled with fictional characters and they can meet and talk, and sometimes they can fall in love.

  I’m a geek. I go a little crazy when Thor meets up with Iron Man or The Flash and Arrow team up.

  So why wouldn’t we do it in Romanceland?

  There are ways out there. A writer can write in another author’s world, giving you her take on it. There’s some brilliant fanfiction out there, but I wanted something different. I wanted to take my time and gradually introduce these characters from other worlds, bring you in slowly so you don’t even realize what I’m doing. So you think this is McKay-Taggart, nothing odd here. Except there is…

  Over the course of my last three books—Love Another Day, At Your Service, and Nobody Does It Better—I introduced you to five new characters and five new and brilliant worlds. If I’ve done my job, you’ll know and love these characters—sisters from another mister, brothers from another mother.

  So grab a glass of wine and welcome to the Lexi Blake Crossover Collection.

  Love,

  Lexi

  Available now! Click to purchase.

  Close Cover by Lexi Blake

  Her Guardian Angel by Larissa Ione

  Justify Me by J. Kenner

  Say You Won't Let Go by Corinne Michaels

  His to Protect by Carly Phillips

  Rescuing Sadie by Susan Stoker

  Acknowledgments from the Author

  When I got the call last year asking if I wanted to “play” in Lexi Blake’s sandbox, I immediately said, “Yes!” But then reality set in…I knew how popular Lexi’s Masters and Mercenaries series was—in part because I was reading it before I started writing my own stories. I asked Lexi if she had a female character I could “have” and of course she said yes. And thus Sadie’s story was born.

  I’ve loved everything ab
out the process of writing this novella and the following story is typical of what I write…strong heroines who seem to get into the worst situations…but luckily they have attracted the attention, and love, of an amazing, Alpha, possessive Hero who will do whatever it takes to make sure she’s safe.

  I hope you enjoy Sadie’s story…and getting to know (or see again) some of the characters from my Delta Force Heroes series. Read on!

  Sign up for the 1001 Dark Nights Newsletter

  and be entered to win a Tiffany Lock necklace.

  There's a contest every quarter!

  Click here to subscribe.

  As a bonus, all subscribers will receive a free copy of

  Discovery Bundle Three

  Featuring stories by

  Sidney Bristol, Darcy Burke, T. Gephart

  Stacey Kennedy, Adriana Locke

  JB Salsbury, and Erika Wilde

  Table of Contents

  Book Description

  About Susan Stoker

  Also by Susan Stoker

  An introduction to the Lexi Blake Crossover Collection

  Author Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Discover the Lexi Blake Crossover Collection

  Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights

  An excerpt from Justice for Milena by Susan Stoker

  Special Thanks

  Chapter One

  Sadie faced the man in front of her without trepidation.

  Sean Taggart might know twenty ways to kill without making a sound thanks to his time as a Green Beret, but to her, he was just Uncle Sean. She’d only known him for six years, ever since Aunt Grace got married, but he’d always supported her no matter what she wanted to do and treated her and her aunt Grace like princesses.

  Not this time.

  “Uncle Sean, this is ridiculous.”

  Sean crossed his arms, giving her what she knew was his “displeased” face. Brows drawn, lips pressed together, eyes narrowed. “It’s not and you know it.”

  “Why can’t I just go back up to Dallas with you?”

  Her uncle sighed. They’d been over this before, but Sadie couldn’t let it go.

  “Because Jonathan is still missing. Captain Jackson said he’d continue to look after you until he’s caught.”

  Sadie shook her head. “But if I came home, you could keep me safe.”

  Sean looked down at her with love in his eyes. His voice gentled. “I could, you’re right. But I think we both know that you wouldn’t like my kind of protection. Or Ian’s. Or anyone else we could find.”

  She knew what he meant without him coming right out and saying it. Sean was overprotective. As was Ian, and probably most of the other men who worked for McKay-Taggart. She could handle their overprotectiveness and bossiness…but only to a point. If she had to endure it twenty-four seven, it could damage their relationship. And that was the last thing she wanted.

  “I can go stay with Milena’s parents again,” Sadie volunteered almost desperately. Maybe she’d even make it in time for Milena’s surprise engagement party. She might not want to become one of McKay-Taggart’s overprotected clients, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to be in close quarters with Chase Jackson anymore either.

  From the second she’d laid eyes on the man, she’d wanted him. It was as if her body had said, This is it. This is the man I want.

  Unfortunately, he’d been in the middle of rescuing her from a crazed, perverted pedophile at the time, and now she was afraid he felt responsible for her, rather than wanting her back.

  She’d been staying with him, sleeping in the extra bedroom in his apartment, but things were extremely awkward between them, mostly because of their crazy sexual chemistry. Then their friend TJ, a San Antonio highway patrolman, had called and said the FBI had gotten word of a sighting of Jonathan Jones recently. Now Chase thought that moving her to an apartment over a friend’s garage would be safer. Sadie felt as if she were a foster kid being pawned from one home to another, not actually belonging anywhere.

  “Milena’s man can’t take care of both you and her,” Sean said bluntly, responding to her earlier thought about staying with her friend’s parents. “TJ’s got his hands full making sure Milena and his son are safe. Not only that, but if you went back to San Antonio and stayed with Milena’s parents, you’d put them in danger. Look, I know you and Chase don’t get along all that well, but you just need to continue to put up with him until we can find that asshole Jones and make sure he’s no longer a threat.”

  Sadie swallowed. It wasn’t that she and Chase didn’t get along; she simply didn’t know what to say to the man. She liked him. A lot. And every time she opened her mouth, she said stuff she didn’t mean. But if she kept protesting, Uncle Sean would get suspicious and ask questions. The last thing she wanted was her uncle, and Chase, to know how much she really did like the gorgeous Army captain.

  Some of her trepidation must have shown on her face anyway, because Sean said, “You’ll be safe with Jackson, Sadie. If he didn’t already belong to Uncle Sam, I’d be recruiting him to come work for Ian in a heartbeat. Besides, thanks to the media, Jonathan knows who I am. Who you are. The first place he’s gonna look for you is in Dallas.”

  “So you’re continuing to pawn off the babysitting job to Chase,” Sadie said bitterly.

  The look in his eyes wasn’t one she’d had directed at her often, if ever. Disappointment. And it hurt. Especially coming from Uncle Sean. “You are not a babysitting job,” he said. “And the fact that you even said that tells me you really don’t understand the seriousness of this situation.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sadie said immediately. “I do understand. I just… I don’t think Chase likes me very much and I hate being a burden.”

  Sean looked at her for a long moment with an expression on his face Sadie couldn’t interpret. Finally, he said, “Sometimes I forget how young you are. The fact of the matter is, right after you were rescued, Jackson came to me with the request to keep you safe. I didn’t ask him.”

  Sadie stared at her uncle in disbelief. “He did?”

  “Yeah, he did.”

  “But…he was so mad at the school after he helped me. I didn’t think he wanted to be anywhere near me.”

  “Can you blame him? He was worried about you. We all were,” was her uncle’s simple response.

  “It’s already been a month. How long am I gonna need to be down here?” she asked, referring to Fort Hood, where Chase lived and worked.

  “As long as it takes. Please do this. For me and Grace. We need to know you’re safe while we track this asshole down. It shouldn’t be for very much longer.”

  When he asked nicely like that, how could she keep protesting? “Fine.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But don’t blame me if Chase calls you up, begging you to take me off his hands.”

  Sean smirked at her, as if he knew something she didn’t, but didn’t respond. Instead he enveloped her in his arms and held her tightly for a long moment.

  Sadie closed her eyes. Sean was a big man, and Sadie had always loved his hugs. Being in her uncle’s arms made her feel as if nothing could hurt her. He and the others at McKay-Taggart had been worried when she’d up and left for San Antonio without really telling anyone where she was going and for how long. But when she’d called and told them she was going to stay with her friend, Milena, and help her with her toddler, Sean hadn’t read her the riot act, which she appreciated. Sadie hadn’t planned on being involved in a bust at Milena’s workplace, the Bexar County School and Orphanage for Girls, and afterward, she couldn’t leave, not when it was clear Milena might be in danger becaus
e of Sadie’s involvement.

  Of course, she hadn’t known she was also in danger until it was too late.

  The only other time she’d felt this safe was at the school…after Chase had hauled her into his arms.

  Sean pulled back and held her at arm’s length. “You know I’m always a phone call away. You need me, you call.” It wasn’t a question, more of a command.

  Sadie nodded.

  “And if you want a job at the restaurant when you come home, it’s yours.”

  “Thanks, Sean,” Sadie said. Her uncle’s restaurant, Top, was one of the most popular restaurants in Dallas. Working there wouldn’t be a pity job either; it would be hectic and busy. If she couldn’t get her job back at McKay-Taggart, it would be a good option for her.

  As if Sean could read her mind, he said, “Ian told me that things haven’t been the same since you left. He’s actually gotten his phone messages and can see the top of your desk.”

  Sadie chuckled and playfully smacked his arm. “Shut up. I wasn’t that bad.”

  Sean simply looked at her with his eyebrows raised.

  “Okay, fine. I was. But I got the job done and was damn good at it. Besides…they got the important messages, didn’t they?”

  “That they did,” Sean agreed. The grin left his face and he said somberly, “Be safe. You have a lot of people who love you.”

  “I will,” Sadie told her uncle.

  “I’m prouder of you than I can say. Not many people would stay to try to help a friend they hadn’t seen for a couple of years. Not only that, you were instrumental in getting that child-abuse ring stopped and taking down a lot of sick men who were involved.”