Shane Read online

  And, when she finally did and threw her head back, sitting tall astride him, he murmured, “Shelly, you are so beautiful. I think I just glimpsed Valhalla.”

  And the explosions rocked through her.

  He quickly flipped her, threw her heels atop his shoulders, and he pounded into her, driving for his own pleasure. When he finally exploded within her, she felt another set of cataclysmic explosions, sending her off again. By the time he collapsed beside her, she shuddered in joy and delight.

  He wrapped her up tight, held her close, and whispered, “My God,” he said. “I had no idea something like that was possible between us,” he said. “We should have gotten here a hell of a long time ago.”

  “Maybe so,” she said, “but I can tell you that it was well worth waiting for.”

  He wrapped her in his arms, pulling her closer, and said, “And we have a lifetime.”

  “Thank God,” she said, “I’m really glad to be done with that stage of life.”

  He burst out laughing. “What stage?”

  “The dating stage,” she said. “Who knew that my handsome hero actually was my best friend?”

  “Well, your best friend didn’t,” he muttered, holding her close.

  “Fools, the both of us,” she said, laughing.

  “That’s all right,” he said. “We got it now.”

  And he kissed her again, and she had to agree. What they had now was worth everything they’d been through together to get here. She smiled, wrapped her arms around him, and whispered, “Did I ever tell you that I love you?”

  “Yes,” he said, “many times.”

  “Well, it’s true,” she said, “even more so today than any other. For I’m in love with you.”

  He nodded and whispered against her ear gently, “And I love you, and I’m in love with you too.”

  She smiled, closed her eyes, and said, “Now I’ll nap for a bit. Wake me up in a little while.”

  “No, I’ll let you sleep.”

  “Either you wake me up or I’ll wake you.”

  “Well, whoever wakes up first gets to wake the other,” he said, stifling a yawn.

  She chuckled, tucked in against him, and soon fell asleep, with a smile on her face and with the promise of a peaceful night ahead of her, as she stepped into her new life with Shane.

  Epilogue

  Diesel Edwards walked back into his small apartment, even as his cell phone rang inside. He quickly picked it up and answered. It was Shane. “Hey, I was just outside, washing the car.”

  “And you didn’t have your phone on you?”

  “No,” he said. “Sometimes I just don’t want to be connected.”

  “Got it,” he said.

  “How are you two getting along?”

  “Well, Shelly’s back here in California, and we’re looking for apartments right now,” he said. “She’s looking for a job but not pushing it.”

  “I wouldn’t push it either. Her last job was a bit of a killer.”

  At that, Shane snorted. “You think? They did give her a nice severance package though, hoping that they wouldn’t get sued for the lack of security. But, all in all, we’re doing great.”

  “Perfect,” he said.

  “What about you?” Shane said.

  “Yeah, I’m back, normal, recovered,” he said. “I had a few days of rest.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Just a check-up call?”

  “Well, I would invite you over for a barbecue,” he said, “but …”

  “But?” Diesel walked to the small balcony and stepped out. He was just on the outskirts of San Diego, and the smog was not too bad today, but it was pretty muggy. “So, you got a job for me or what?”

  “Well, it’s not me who’s got a job for you. The Mavericks do.”

  “My own job?” Diesel asked in surprise.

  “Yeah, if you’re up for it.”

  “Any reason I wouldn’t be?”

  “I’m not sure,” he said. “How do you feel about scientists?”

  “No different than any other person. Why?”

  “Because a specialist, an epidemiologist, has been kidnapped.”

  “And that’s a Mavericks issue, why?”

  “She was working on a new cure for a virus. Apparently China is looking to have the cure for themselves, and she is their best bet.”

  “Is it part of that H1N1 that’s terrorizing Asia?”

  “It’s one of the offshoots of it,” he said. “Anyway, she went missing twelve days ago.”

  “Why are we getting called in so late?”

  “Because her family didn’t report her missing.”

  “What family would that be?”

  “Her brother, who lives with her. When he finally did call it in, nobody really believed him because he was drunk.”

  “Great, so how believable is her disappearance?”

  “We checked the street cams, and two Asian males clearly escorted her, as soon as she left her home, into a black car.”

  “And?”

  “It went to the Chinese Consulate. However, the consulate is saying that nobody arrived.”

  “Did you show them the video?”

  “Yes, but they say the car isn’t theirs, and honestly the camera doesn’t go clear onto their property.”

  “So, what are the chances that she was even taken by the Chinese?” he said. “It’s pretty easy to blame them by taking her to that location but then sneak her off somewhere else.”

  “Yes, it’s quite possible,” he said, “which is why you’re being called in for it.”

  “And what’s the problem?”

  “Well, I think at the moment she’s on a Chinese warship.”

  “How did we go from the Chinese Consulate not having anything to do with it to a Chinese warship?”

  “Well, it gets better than that,” he said. “Her last sighting was on a Chinese junk boat.”

  “Where?”

  “Off China’s coast.”

  “That’s not making any sense.”

  “Nope, we’ll fill you in as you go,” he said cheerfully.

  “Go where?”

  “To the last sighting of her. How are your language skills? Like Chinese, possibly Vietnamese?”

  “Terrible,” he said, “I suck at it, but things always work out.” As they spoke, he was already pulling out a duffel bag and packing up his clothes. He heard a vehicle outside and shook his head. “Are you telling me that that I’m leaving right now?”

  “Aren’t you packed yet? You should have started when I first called.”

  “I might have, if we hadn’t been talking about you guys and a barbecue that you owe me,” he said. Nonetheless he was packed within minutes.

  “Make sure you’ve got your passport.”

  “I’ve got it,” he said. “I still don’t understand why this scientist was kidnapped.”

  “Well, she’s got a scientific background for one. She’s a renowned epidemiologist for another, and she’s got some head start on a cure for this … this virus.”

  “That’s great, but then somebody wants her for a lab, right?”

  “Well, that’s what we’re hoping for, but, of course, it could just as easily be extortion.”

  “And we don’t know.”

  “Well, that’s for you to find out,” he said. “In the meantime, we’re still tracking her movements. Please bring her home.” And, with that, Shane went to log off.

  “Wait,” Diesel said, “when am I leaving?”

  “I thought I made it clear that you’re supposed to be packing.”

  “Not only am I packed, I’ve locked up my apartment, and I’m standing outside.”

  “Oh, well, do you see the little red car parked in front of you?”

  He looked at the parking lot and found it. There appeared to be no driver. “Yeah?”

  “The keys are under the floor mat.”

  “Where am I going?”

  “Head to Coronado base. You’ll
take a little bit of a convoluted route.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because the Chinese government says they don’t know anything about it, yet they’re obviously involved. So we’re staying under the radar.”

  “Hey, that’s … we’ve still got to get there fast.”

  “Yep. Don’t worry. You’ll get there fast. Your flight’s leaving in about forty minutes. Make sure you’re on it.”

  And, with a laugh, he hung up, leaving Diesel to hop into the little red Mustang and to hurtle toward the airport on the base. He didn’t know whose car this was, but it was a hell of a way to leave town.

  And, with that thought uppermost in his mind, he hit the gas and went forward to whatever life would bring.

  This concludes Book 12 of The Mavericks: Shane.

  Read about Diesel: The Mavericks, Book 13

  The Mavericks: Diesel (Book #13)

  What happens when the very men—trained to make the hard decisions—come up against the rules and regulations that hold them back from doing what needs to be done? They either stay and work within the constraints given to them or they walk away. Only now, for a select few, they have another option:

  The Mavericks. A covert black ops team that steps up and break all the rules … but gets the job done.

  Welcome to a new military romance series by USA Today best-selling author Dale Mayer. A series where you meet new friends and just might get to meet old ones too in this raw and compelling look at the men who keep us safe every day from the darkness where they operate—and live—in the shadows … until someone special helps them step into the light.

  Traveling to China to retrieve a kidnapped scientist shows Diesel the depths of human depravity. Not that he needs more proof. He’s been doing this type of work for a decade. This is the first time though the person he was rescuing was this interesting.

  Eva Langston had been kidnapped while walking across the street and then locked up in a lab half a world away. Joining two other scientists, both letting her know there was no escape, she refuses to give up hope. When the rescue does come, it wasn’t smooth or easy.

  Still she was damn glad to be free. Until she realizes that freedom is a long way off, as, one by one, her science team is picked off, leaving her the last one to be dealt with.

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading Shane: The Mavericks, Book 12! If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment and leave a short review here.

  Dear reader,

  I love to hear from readers, and you can contact me at my website: www.dalemayer.com or at my Facebook author page. To be informed of new releases and special offers, sign up for my newsletter or follow me on BookBub. And if you are interested in joining Dale Mayer’s Reader Group, here is the Facebook sign up page.

  Cheers,

  Dale Mayer

  Get THREE Free Books Now!

  Have you met the SEALS of Honor?

  SEALs of Honor Books 1, 2, and 3. Follow the stories of brave, badass warriors who serve their country with honor and love their women to the limits of life and death.

  Read Mason, Hawk, and Dane right now for FREE.

  Click here and tell me where to send them!

  About the Author

  Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).

  She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

  To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.

  Connect with Dale Mayer Online

  Dale’s Website – www.dalemayer.com

  Facebook Personal – https://smarturl.it/DaleMayerFacebook

  Instagram – https://smarturl.it/DaleMayerInstagram

  BookBub – https://smarturl.it/DaleMayerBookbub

  Facebook Fan Page – https://smarturl.it/DaleMayerFBFanPage

  Goodreads – https://smarturl.it/DaleMayerGoodreads

  SHANE: THE MAVERICKS, BOOK 12

  Dale Mayer

  Valley Publishing Ltd.

  Copyright © 2020

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-773363-76-9

  Kobo Edition

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.