Today we're having a book blast for Exchange of Fire by P.A. DePaul.
I'm super excited about this blast. We'll be revealing an alternative scene from Exchange of Fire and it's on sale right now as well!!
Enjoy and make sure you enter P.A.'s giveaway!!
Faking her death was easy,
living with her past is harder, but nothing is more dangerous than falling in
love…
Sandra Walsh was a deadly sniper for the Sweet Briar Group, a covert agency with assassins for hire, until her last mission went horribly wrong, accidentally killing an innocent girl. Knowing she’s a danger to her team, Sandra goes off the grid, becoming a Shade—an agent declared dead but secretly hiding among the living. She intends to honor her vow never to pull another trigger or have contact with the spy world again. Until she meets Casper Grady…
Grady is a former Marine with a troubled past and a debt to pay. His life mission has gone from protecting the nation to helping local children and their families. The moment he meets Sandra, he knows there’s more to her than meets the eye, but he can’t help but be drawn to the mysterious femme fatale. And when Sandra’s past suddenly catches up to her, Grady is determined to protect her at all costs, no matter how dark and dangerous her secrets are.
As the danger increases, so does their intense attraction. But when they’re forced to choose between each other and the people they’ve sworn to protect, their growing love might not be enough to keep them together—or alive…
Sandra Walsh was a deadly sniper for the Sweet Briar Group, a covert agency with assassins for hire, until her last mission went horribly wrong, accidentally killing an innocent girl. Knowing she’s a danger to her team, Sandra goes off the grid, becoming a Shade—an agent declared dead but secretly hiding among the living. She intends to honor her vow never to pull another trigger or have contact with the spy world again. Until she meets Casper Grady…
Grady is a former Marine with a troubled past and a debt to pay. His life mission has gone from protecting the nation to helping local children and their families. The moment he meets Sandra, he knows there’s more to her than meets the eye, but he can’t help but be drawn to the mysterious femme fatale. And when Sandra’s past suddenly catches up to her, Grady is determined to protect her at all costs, no matter how dark and dangerous her secrets are.
As the danger increases, so does their intense attraction. But when they’re forced to choose between each other and the people they’ve sworn to protect, their growing love might not be enough to keep them together—or alive…
Introduction from the
author:
Exchange of Fire’s gone through quite a few changes since I
typed the first draft. Some of them major. This scene was one of the first ones
to be changed. As I wrote it, the storyline started shifting to be more about
Cappy and his wound then about an assassin coming after Wraith by invading
Grady’s home. Not good and too much time was being wasted trying to bring it
back on track. As I brainstormed, I realized this scene could be so much more
suspenseful and really dive into both Grady and Wraith’s personal storylines if
I didn’t include Cappy and shifted Mars outside, trying to pick them off.
Ultimately, this one scene developed into multiple chapters of high action and
personal suspense (Chapters 39-41 to be exact).
Hope you enjoy a peek at an earlier version!
Exclusive Alternative
Scene
Grady
crouched and squeezed off two shots down the hall to give Cappy a chance to
find cover. Suddenly, the C.O. gripped his left side, toppled over, and pull
himself behind the couch, leaving behind a grisly trail of blood.
Shit!
Grady
whipped his head over to make sure Sandra was still with him. She wasn’t. Sonofabitch. He peered around the edge
of the fireplace acting as a patrician between the living and dining rooms, and
his heart stopped. She crept along the perimeter of the room, ducking behind
chairs toward Cappy. Her whole body was silhouetted by the light coming in from
the floor-to-ceiling windows that comprised the back wall of the living room.
She was a Goddamn moving target.
Grady
brought his gun up and stepped from behind the fireplace. He ran to the corner
of the hallway, placing his shoulder blades flat against the drywall. Where had
that bastard gone? His former military training roared through his veins as he
assessed his house’s layout. One of the most dangerous, yet rewarding,
directives he’d experienced when he was a Marine was being a part of a unit
that kicked down doors and cleared insurgents out in Baghdad. Except then, he
had about seven other guys and snipers on the roofs as they leap-frogged
through rooms taking out bad guys.
He now
had a team of two. Himself and Sandra. But he knew the terrain since it was his
Goddamn house acting as a warzone. When Mars dove down the hall, he had to
choose between three bedrooms and a bathroom. Based on logic, the guy had
probably been creeping forward, so that meant he was most likely in the first
guest bedroom.
The one
Grady rested against. Shit. He rolled.
Two
bullets pierced the drywall where he had just stood and traveled until they
slammed into the side of the kitchen island. Pots and pans clattered as the
bullets expended their energy.
Grady
continued his momentum and rolled to his feet, keeping low to the ground. He
flicked on his throat-mic and whispered, “Talk to me, Sandra. How’s he doing?”
“It’s bad. I’ve slowed the bleeding, but he
needs a hospital.”
Shit.
Exactly what he was afraid of when he saw the gut shot.
“He keeps saying he won’t go,” she continued. “But we’ll see about that.”
“Did you
get a hold of the others?”
“Yeah. I used Cappy’s phone and sent a text
warning them away.”
Grady
breathed out. While that was great news, it also sucked, knowing you just told
back-up to grab a beer while you fought a psycho alone.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they showed up anyway.”
His gut
clenched. That was his other fear. Talon was just bull-headed enough to come
barging in even though they needed their asset, the inside man, to stay safe.
“Roger.”
He flicked his mic off and took a step forward. A large, dark shape emerged from
the bedroom, racing toward him. Grady pulled his gun up and squeezed off a
round. The shape didn’t slow. He didn’t have time for another shot. Mars ran
right into him, literally. Grady fell on his ass in the most ungraceful
position.
The
assassin kept running.
“Heads
up,” Grady shouted, scrambling into a
shooting position. He fired at the man’s back. The bullet pierced the guy’s
coat, but Mars still didn’t slow down. “He’s got armor on.”
Pffffft. Pffffft.
Sandra! Grady jumped up and started running.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Grady
dropped and crab-walked forward out of Cappy’s line of fire. He placed his
shoulder against a high-backed chair and edged his gun around. With no lights
or moonlight, Grady couldn’t see many details but even he could figure out Cappy
was gone when he peered behind the couch. Only a large pool of blood now
stained the oriental let him know where he had lain.
Mars
stalked toward the windows, giving Grady the advantage of seeing the man’s
outline.
Where
was Sandra?
Grady
pulled the trigger. Blood spurted from the assassin’s left shoulder and the guy
jerked, whirling toward him. Sandra jumped from her spot behind the couch, her
knife catching the little bit of dull light as she thrust it forward and
slashed down.
Mars
cried out as his right leg buckled.
“Everyone,
back off,” Sandra yelled, circling the assassin.
Screw that. Grady raced forward.
Mars
raised his right hand, the gun just seconds from sighting on her head. Sandra
dropped onto his stomach and punched him in the face with her silver knuckles.
His head snapped to the side as a tooth flew from his mouth. The gun paused
then resumed its deadly aim.
Grady
raised his arm and sighted.
“I swear
to God, Grady, if you pull that trigger,” she said as she slammed her knuckles
into Mars’ face again, shredding the skin on his cheek. “I will make your life
a living hell. This bastard’s mine.”
In one
deft move, she switched the knife from her right to her left hand and sliced
the tendon on Mars’ forearm.
The
assassin screamed as the silenced gun flopped to the rug with a dull thud. He
curled his bleeding arm into his chest.
Cappy
pulled himself around the couch’s corner and Sandra glanced up at the movement.
Mars used that moment to slam his left fist into her face. She jerked back, dropping
off his stomach.
Sonofabitch. Grady shot the man in the leg.
Mars
screamed and twitched, but he couldn’t do much more since Grady had aimed for
the leg Sandra had already crippled.
She
righted herself, holding the right side of her head. She bucked with the man as
if she were riding a bull in a rodeo. Her knife switched back to her right hand
and she sliced through the bastard’s shirt. Mars drew back to punch her again
but Cappy caught the man’s arm and held it down.
“Go
ahead,” he wheezed, using what had to be the last of his reserves to keep Mars
from hitting her again. “Finish it.”
Riiiiiipppppp. She pulled the fabric apart and released the
binding on the armor vest. Mars’ chest rose and fell as he sucked in air.
“Let him
go, Cappy. Give him a fighting chance to stop me.”
Grady’s
heart filled with something he’d be hard pressed not to call love. He was also
scared and pissed as hell at her taking this risk, but proud of her not ending
the man in cold-blood either.
Cappy
held her eyes a moment then dipped his chin. He let go and rolled to his back
panting.
Mars
swung at her head but she dodged back. He regrouped and clamped onto her leg,
trying to push her off as he squeezed and flailed. She held on. He let go and
wormed his hand under his body. He
fumbled a moment, then whipped out a switchblade.
“Look
out,” Grady shouted, lunging forward.
Sandra
sprang off his body.
The
switchblade in Mars’ hand hung suspended as his eyes bugged, staring at her
face. He tried to breathe in once, but gurgled on blood seeping out of the
corner of his mouth.
Sandra’s
aim had been true.
Grady
slammed her body to his. She wrenched her head to watch as Mars’ face reddened,
then his body gave out. He sagged, his head drooping to the side as he died
staring at Sandra.
She
slumped.
“Are you
hurt?” He clutched the sides of her head and she whimpered. “Christ. I’m sorry.
I forgot he hit you. Let me see.”
She
jerked her head out of hands. “Cappy first.”
Shit.
She was right. His inner caveman didn’t give a shit about the other man though.
It only knew his woman was injured and demanded he take care of her. Pipe down, he told it and let her go.
She raced to Cappy’s side and dropped to her knees.
“Oh
God,” she cried. “He’s barely breathing.”
“I’m
calling 911.”
“No,”
Cappy’s voice wheezed, stilling Grady’s hand from reaching for his cellphone.
“No hospital.”
“You
have to go,” Sandra snapped.
“No.”
Cappy shook his head. “Gunshot.” His chest rose and fell as he tried to catch
his breath. “Required.” Breath. “To report.” Huge breath. “Police.”
“Shit.
He’s right,” Grady said.
“I’ll
call Talon back.” Sandra fumbled for the phone.
The
garage door opening caught Grady’s attention. “Someone’s here.” He ran to the
kitchen door and waited, his gun at the ready to nail anyone other than the
team.
The door
squeaked open and Grady put the barrel to the intruder’s temple. “Freeze,
asshole.” The man stopped.
“Geez,
Casper. I knew we didn’t get along, but this is a little extreme,” Talon’s
voice said dryly.
“Oh
thank God,” Sandra called. “Talon, get your ass in here.”
The
prick shot him a look as he tore past, Romeo and Magician following a step
behind.
“What
happened?” Talon barked as he rounded the fireplace.
“Mars
shot him.”
“Shit.”
A late
twenty-something, thin man stepped through the door. His hair standing up in
the back and he seemed as if he was frayed around the edges. His blue-checked,
button down and khaki pants should have looked nice but they were ill-fitting.
Grady put his hand out, stopping him from moving further in the kitchen.
He
leaned forward and whispered, “I don’t know you. You stay right here with me.”
“He
won’t go to the hospital,” Sandra continued to explain.
Mystery
Boy’s eyes widened. “Wraith. She’s still safe.” His shoulder sagged.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
P.A. DePaul is a multi-genre romance author including paranormal fantasy and romantic suspense. She originally hails from Carroll County and Baltimore County, Maryland, but also lived in Macon and Warner Robins, Georgia. She currently resides in a beautiful community just outside Philadelphia. Exchange of Fire is the first novel in the SBG series with the second novel, Shadow of Doubt, releasing April 2015. You can also find out more about her at www.padepaul.com, www.facebook.com/padepaul, https://twitter.com/PADePaul, http://www.pinterest.com/padepaul, and http://www.goodreads.com/PADePaul.
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