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had a bell. Why was the person knocking instead? He went to the door and opened it. A girl lay curled up on the landing, bleeding from a cut on her face. She opened her eyes—bright blue eyes, intelligent and scared. “Hello?” He knelt down and met her face-to-face. “I have to deliver a message,” she said, her voice strangely accented. “From who?” Maybe it had happened. Finally. A message from the kidnappers. “From God.”
9 THE ROOK Grace walked down the third-floor hallway, leaving the men of the house to their own devices. They were all terrified—Wesley, Griffin, who’d let her in the house, even Kingsley, although she could see he had much more practice at hiding his fears than the rest of them. Nora... Grace prayed her name as she neared the bedroom she’d been warned away from. She could put together no other words for a prayer. All the possibilities she could pray against were too terrible to imagine. Wesley said Kingsley’s sister had Nora. His sister...a woman. Better a woman than being taken by a man. A woman kidnapped...surely his sister had help, had men around her. Impossible to think any lone woman could get the better of Nora Sutherlin. Dear God, Nora. It turned Grace’s stomach to even consider what might be happening to Nora right now. Outside the door to Kingsley’s bedroom, Grace paused and wondered for a moment what she was doing. She merely wanted to see him...this man, this priest, the one person her usually fearless husband ever admitted to being afraid of. Nora seemed the ultimate free spirit to Grace—she trod across the world in leather boots with black sails flying. And yet when she spoke of Søren she called him the man who owned her. Owning Nora sounded as dangerous as owning a nuclear bomb. Valuable and powerful it may be, but who would want that sort of thing under one’s own roof? Grace turned the knob on the door and peered inside. A small lamp had been left on and pale gold light filled the room. On the floor at the end of the grand red bed sat a man with his blond head bowed as if in prayer. The door made the slightest squeak as it opened but the man on the floor didn’t move. Whatever Kingsley had drugged him with clearly hadn’t worn off yet. Shutting the door behind her, Grace moved closer to get a better look at the man. Her heart contracted with sympathy. He’d be in agony when he came to. Sitting on the floor had to be uncomfortable, and far worse, when he woke up it would be to a world where Nora was still gone. Kneeling on the floor at his side Grace studied his face. Good God, Nora hadn’t been exaggerating at all. Is he handsome? Calling this man handsome would be like saying Einstein was fairly decent at his sums. He was so handsome she wanted to demand an apology from him. He had blond hair long enough to run one’s fingers through but still short enough to give him a civilized air. Nora had called him dangerous but Grace couldn’t see the threat at all. He was tall, definitely. Even sitting on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back, Grace could tell he must have stood well over six feet. But no, certainly not dangerous. In fact, he looked rather kind, especially around his eyes. Nora often extolled his virtues as a priest to her—how he treated everyone at the church with equal respect, how he listened without judging, how he treated the children like adults and forgave the adults like they were children, how he gave and gave and gave of himself to them and asked nothing in return, only that they remember all blessings come from God, even the ones in disguise.
Page 3 and 4: There’s punishment—and then the
Page 6 and 7: Dedicated to Mistress Jeanette, Mis
Page 8 and 9: Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Pa
Page 10 and 11: Part One CAPTURE
Page 12 and 13: The lady or the tiger? —Frank Sto
Page 14 and 15: money, no hope, and her whole life
Page 16 and 17: 2 THE KING Kingsley Edge stood in f
Page 18 and 19: Good. Griffin was on time today. He
Page 20 and 21: “But, monsieur, there’s someone
Page 22 and 23: not very attractive. If he was attr
Page 24 and 25: “He’s a priest,” Wesley said
Page 26 and 27: 4 THE ROOK As soon as she got to th
Page 28 and 29: had to know for sure and maybe coul
Page 30 and 31: “Grace.” “Yes?” “I love y
Page 32 and 33: oth emotionally exhausted. “A lit
Page 34 and 35: 5 THE PAWN Laila slipped off her sh
Page 36 and 37: and uncle had come to her grandmoth
Page 38 and 39: 6 THE QUEEN A smiling woman stood b
Page 40 and 41: “Does that bother you? That he’
Page 42 and 43: message you have. I’ll be your ho
Page 44 and 45: Kingsley put a bullet in those ches
Page 46 and 47: “I need you, too,” he said. “
Page 48 and 49: “I’m attempting to rid myself o
Page 52 and 53: No, he certainly wasn’t dangerous
Page 54 and 55: could hear Him better, she should a
Page 56 and 57: “I didn’t even allow us to kiss
Page 58 and 59: who simply ignored that wall as if
Page 60 and 61: 10 THE PAWN Laila pulled her knees
Page 62 and 63: “What does it say?” Wes demande
Page 64 and 65: “Wake up, Daniel. I’m calling i
Page 66 and 67: 11 THE QUEEN For what felt like an
Page 68 and 69: The dig didn’t seem to make any i
Page 70 and 71: She entered a bedroom, large and op
Page 72 and 73: “I’d given all the options so m
Page 74 and 75: “She was with you?” He nodded a
Page 76 and 77: 13 THE QUEEN Nora had been allowed
Page 78 and 79: “Blondie’s a hottie,” Nora ag
Page 80 and 81: “Five, counting Wesley. Enough fo
Page 82 and 83: 14 THE ROOK Grace sat alone in one
Page 84 and 85: “One of several. I would say it
Page 86 and 87: “But you knew.” “I knew.” H
Page 88 and 89: 15 THE QUEEN Once upon a time... Wh
Page 90 and 91: Nora rolled up off the couch and du
Page 92 and 93: her bra again and buttoned up her b
Page 94 and 95: city just to bring him his insulin
Page 96 and 97: Wes raised his hand and covered her
Page 98 and 99: own kingdoms. Dominants with boring
Page 100 and 101:
16 THE KNIGHT Wes kept his eyes clo
Page 102 and 103:
“You’re not pale right now. You
Page 104 and 105:
17 THE QUEEN I asked my husband to
Page 106 and 107:
preteen crush on MacGyver had prett
Page 108 and 109:
fraught with peril than trying to e
Page 110 and 111:
would live and she would find him a
Page 112 and 113:
“I did destroy their relationship
Page 114 and 115:
him of overreacting, of letting his
Page 116 and 117:
“You can leave,” Kingsley said.
Page 118 and 119:
“No prisons, no cemeteries,” Ki
Page 120 and 121:
congregation. And he had his Little
Page 122 and 123:
No, she wasn’t going to try to ge
Page 124 and 125:
even worse, on himself. She put the
Page 126 and 127:
20 THE PAWN Evening came and Laila
Page 128 and 129:
“I didn’t think anything could
Page 130 and 131:
21 THE QUEEN Nora spent the entire
Page 132 and 133:
Nora’s blood momentarily turned t
Page 134 and 135:
“You were in love.” “I am in
Page 136 and 137:
day and knew she’d go out of her
Page 138 and 139:
“Not at all. He reminds me of Nor
Page 140 and 141:
“I’m glad she helped you unders
Page 142 and 143:
“You have other lovers?” Grace
Page 144 and 145:
23 THE QUEEN In all her twenty year
Page 146 and 147:
did. You like his motorcycle? The J
Page 148 and 149:
“I told you so,” was Søren’s
Page 150 and 151:
He unbuttoned his vest and shirt be
Page 152 and 153:
“Thank you.” Søren kissed her
Page 154 and 155:
“No.” “Who told you, then?”
Page 156 and 157:
and uncomfortable while she sits ba
Page 158 and 159:
to be lovers someday, I would hurt
Page 160 and 161:
“Kingsley’s very good at this g
Page 162 and 163:
“That is Anya, his second wife. M
Page 164 and 165:
“Eleanor would want you to take c
Page 166 and 167:
“For his sake, not mine.” Once
Page 168 and 169:
Nora closed her eyes as Wesley’s
Page 170 and 171:
26 THE KING Kingsley parked the car
Page 172 and 173:
making me tell them. So do you want
Page 174 and 175:
had to do something, anything, to h
Page 176 and 177:
Part Four CASTLING
Page 178 and 179:
“If it makes you feel any better,
Page 180 and 181:
“Princess? Nice.” He laughed at
Page 182 and 183:
“I can’t be responsible for rui
Page 184 and 185:
28 THE QUEEN Nora’s eyes fluttere
Page 186 and 187:
sight of it. “I was. Spent a litt
Page 188 and 189:
Pleasure pooled between her legs an
Page 190 and 191:
woman who should be my daughter-in-
Page 192 and 193:
“He tried to care.” “Only for
Page 194 and 195:
Kingsley a day to try. I knew he wo
Page 196 and 197:
could give him that one act of kind
Page 198 and 199:
31 THE KNIGHT Wesley woke up early.
Page 200 and 201:
“God, I thought Søren was bad. C
Page 202 and 203:
“Shit happens? Move on? This is y
Page 204 and 205:
He raced from the room. Wes stared
Page 206 and 207:
“He didn’t have to,” Marie-La
Page 208 and 209:
whatever decision you make will be
Page 210 and 211:
Grace. That’s what I’ll do with
Page 212 and 213:
33 THE KING The words on the note S
Page 214 and 215:
34 THE QUEEN Nora brought the dagge
Page 216 and 217:
36 THE KNIGHT The moment Wesley rea
Page 218 and 219:
38 THE PAWN Laila awoke to silence.
Page 220 and 221:
Part Six PROMOTION
Page 222 and 223:
clients came to me for medical reas
Page 224 and 225:
emerged so much heaven. She could b
Page 226 and 227:
“So what now?” She looked up at
Page 228 and 229:
41 THE PAWN Laila knew she would fa
Page 230 and 231:
do now.” Laila ran her hands up a
Page 232 and 233:
“Please,” he said. “Use my ha
Page 234 and 235:
42 THE ROOK Grace stared down at he
Page 236 and 237:
ed, did she take her hair down. She
Page 238 and 239:
From behind her she heard Søren la
Page 240 and 241:
43 THE KNIGHT Wesley moved carefull
Page 242 and 243:
44 THE KING Kingsley stood shirtles
Page 244 and 245:
“Fine. I did hate you. A little.
Page 246 and 247:
each the end of his love for you th
Page 248 and 249:
“Every night.”
Page 250 and 251:
“And where is Wesley?” “Proba
Page 252 and 253:
sink in. Not only had she hit him,
Page 254 and 255:
46 THE QUEEN December 21, eighteen
Page 256 and 257:
“I’ll wear them but you should
Page 258 and 259:
“Of a sort.” Zach sounded serio
Page 260:
ISBN: 9781460316474 THE MISTRESS Co
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487947528

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