An Unexpected Triad Read online

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  An Unexpected Triad

  Copper Creek Pack Series

  Book 4

  Kasey Belle

  Copyright © 2017

  Thank you for not sharing your copy of this book. Your purchase allows you one legal copy for your own personal reading pleasure on your personal computer or other electronic device. All rights reserved. With exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without permission from the author. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner of the book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to any file sharing peer-to-peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this-e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden.

  If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer or electronic device.

  If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting my work.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

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  An Unexpected Triad: Copper Creek Pack Series, Book 4

  Text Copyright © 2017 Kasey Belle Romance

  First E-book Publication: July 2017 Kasey Belle Romance

  Cover and art copyright © 2017 Sin City Book Art

  Digital Formatting by Kasey Belle Romance

  ALL RIGHT RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to Sharee Ellis and Kandi Candelas. I couldn’t do this without your extremely perceptive eyes. You both mean the world to me.

  Copyright/Trademarks (Do not belong to this author and are their own entities):

  Ford Motor Company, Catniss and The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins Author) Disney Trademarks, The Village People

  Book cover graphics and cover art from publicdomainpictures.net, Can Stock Photo, and Sin City Book Art.

  To Jennifer,

  If anyone deserves two sexy men… it’s you.

  Love you girl.

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Thank You!

  About The Author

  Please Stalk Me

  Other Works

  Coming Soon!

  Prologue

  Las Vegas

  Officer Jennifer Alvarado pulled her cruiser up to the drive-thru window of a local twenty-four-hour coffee shop and ordered a triple shot and lemon poppy seed muffin. She hated working the night shift. It left her sixteen-year-old daughter, Lada, home alone. Their house was located in a part of Vegas known as The Edge. Named that because it rested between an affluent area and the ghetto. North Vegas and their gang problem were slowly encroaching into Jen’s quiet neighborhood. It was gradually becoming more ghetto than edge.

  Jennifer glanced over at her partner Trace. “Are you sure you don’t want anything?”

  “Nah, I’m good. I still have my Big Gulp and half a bag of corn chips.” He sucked soda through the straw as if to prove the point. “You doing okay, Jen? You’ve been quiet all shift.”

  “Why don’t you tell me, ye of the super sniffer.” Trace scowled at her, and as usual instead of being intimidated, she laughed.

  “I can tell you’re tense, but I can’t read your mind, smart ass. Which, is probably a good thing, because I don’t want to go anywhere near that twisted brain of yours.”

  “You don’t know what you are missing.”

  Trace tilted his head and studied her. “Did you hear from your lawyer about The Ponytail?”

  Jen snickered. “You’re never going to let me live that down are you?”

  “Hell no. I mean what were you thinking dating a guy like that? Dude has a ponytail, and he’s over forty. Seriously, at that age, only old stoners and gigolos have ponytails.”

  “He was a nice guy, well I thought he was, anyway.” She shook her head. She still wondered how she missed recognizing the asshole for what he was.

  “He was prick always was, always will be,” he said as if reading her mind. “You are too nice for your own good. You even tried to come up with a viable excuse for the asshat after he stole from you then had the audacity to break up with you. So did you hear back?”

  “Yeah, Mr. Milner called me earlier. He doesn’t think the D.A. will press charges. Even if he did, I don’t know if Tony will serve time. It’s my word against his. If we can prove he’s guilty, Tony will see some sort of punishment.”

  “I personally would like to see the pony-tailed prick become Bubba’s bitch, but it probably won’t happen. A guy a can dream though.”

  Jen snickered. “That does sound good. I don’t really care if he serves time. He can’t sit in a jail cell and pay me back the seven thousand he stole from me. If the criminal case doesn’t happen, there’s is always a civil suit. My type of case usually has a high success rate on the civil side.”

  “That’s all pretty good news. So, what’s bothering you?”

  Jen sighed. “I hate working nights and yes, I’m pouting about it. I don’t like leaving Lada home alone. I know she’s old enough, but it seems every night after eleven, shit starts getting crazy over in my neck of the woods. It’s only a matter of time before something bad happens in my backyard.”

  “Lada knows what to do should the shit hit the fan. You raised her right. You taught her to be smart. You’ve never had trouble in your neighborhood before though, so I would say you’re okay for now.”

  “Or we’re due for drive-by, maybe even a zombie apocalypse.” Trace snorted a laugh. Jennifer continued, “I plan on getting us out of there as soon as I can. You’d think since we rent, moving to a better part of town wouldn’t be difficult, right? Wrong. The housing market is ridiculous. Rent is crazy high, right now. It’s going to take a while to find something I can afford.”

  “Look at this way. You won’t just take the first place that comes along.” Trace grinned. Always the optimist. “You’ve got time to look for exactly what you want. You won’t settle.”

  She sighed. “I’m not sure I have a time to be picky. I saw MS-13 gang tags around the corner from the house on my way to work today.”

  He waved her off. “It’s probably just kids fucking around.”

  “I’m not sure which is worse, actual gang members marking their territory or little fuckers who want to be gang bangers marking their territory. Those little wanna-be’s are usually more violent than the real deal.”

  Trace did that little head nod bobble thing he usually did when he had to reluctantly admit she had a point. “Ain’t that the truth.” He narrowed his eyes. “What else is bothering you?”

&
nbsp; Jen sighed. “I’ve had this feeling you know? Like something bad is going to happen. I’ve had it since yesterday and I can’t shake it.”

  “Oh, man,” Trace whined. His face scrunched up into a look of disgust. “You couldn’t have mentioned this yesterday?”

  “It was our day off.”

  “So?” Trace countered. “Don’t I warrant a heads-up? You know I don’t like it when you get those feelings. It usually ends with me getting shot in the ass.”

  Snickering, she held up a finger. “One time. That happened one time. Not my fault you bobbed when you should have weaved.”

  “Once is enough,” he pouted.

  “You shifted and healed in like two seconds. Plus, you got paid leave out of the deal, because you couldn’t tell anyone.” She stuck her nose in the air. “So, I don’t want to hear your shit.”

  “Whatever.” Trace rolled his eyes. “Look if you’re really worried about Lada, why don’t you have her stay at our house on the nights you work. Chloe would love it. Lada will be a big help with the baby and she drives, so getting home or to school in the morning shouldn’t be a problem for her.”

  “I don’t want to put Chloe out,” she hedged.

  “Are you kidding? My mate would welcome the company. She usually does her web work when Jack is down for his nap or after he goes to bed, but he’s been colicky lately. After she finally gets him to sleep, she ends up working through the night just to catch up.”

  She’d lucked out when the department gave her Trace as a partner. He always had her back. “Thanks for the offer. I’ll call Chloe and talk with her about it.”

  “What? Why? I’m the man of the house, what I say goes. She’ll do as she’s told.” He puffed out his chest, showing off. His chauvinism was complete bullshit, of course.

  It was times like these she cherished having Trace as a partner and friend. They were extremely lucrative―for her. “Oh wow, really?” Jen pressed a palm to her heart. “Can I tell her you said that? Or better yet, ask her how she feels about your dictate, your lordship?” A shit-eating grin curled her lips.

  Trace looked horrified. He was no doubt thinking about what his sweet wife was going to do with his balls. “Fuck no you can’t. You know I was kidding.”

  “Do I really? I don’t know. It sounded like you were pretty damn serious about that I am king of my domain shit.” She cocked an eyebrow. “You could of course try to convince me otherwise.”

  Trace let out a pained sigh. “What do you want?”

  “Whatcha got?” She batted her lashes. “What’s keeping your testicles intact worth to you?”

  “I’ll buy you coffee and a muffin every shift for the next month,” he offered.

  “Hmm.” She tapped her finger against her lips acting as if she were considering his offer. “Doesn’t sound like you’re all that concerned about walking around sans testicles. I’m gonna need more.”

  Trace laid his head back against the seat and groaned. “Fine. I’ll throw in a six-pack of Angry Orchard and a bottle of Fireball.”

  “A case and a liter,” Jen countered.

  Trace growled. “Greedy.”

  Jen shot him a toothy smile. “I’ll expect the case of apple awesomeness and liter of cinnamony goodness in my possession by Friday. If not, it’s your ass… or balls―” She waved that away. “―whatever.”

  Trace shook his head in feigned disgust. Reluctant pride shone in his eyes. “You’re ruthless.”

  “I’m Mexicali, bitch. I’m old school.” She threw him a fake gang sign. “That’s how we settle our shit, hermano.”

  “You’re something alright, but I’m too much of a gentleman to say what that is.” He winked.

  “… sixteen Tree Line. Break. P.R. reported someone trying to break into the residence. Break. P.R. has locked herself in the bathroom and is armed with a four-thirteen, nine millimeter. Break.”

  “Shit. Did you hear that? Did she say Tree Line? What address did she say?”

  “P.R. said she heard glass breaking and believes unknown person is inside the residence. No description at this time. Call disconnected. Recalling P.R. Break.”

  “I don’t know. We aren’t assigned over that way. I wasn’t listening. I was too pre-occupied with keeping my balls intact.”

  Jen grabbed the radio. “Control, Nora-three.”

  “Nora-three, copy.”

  “Could you repeat that address for the four-oh-six? Was that Northeast?”

  “Affirmative. P.R. called from a forty-five-sixteen Tree Line. Break.”

  Jen’s heart stopped briefly, then hammered in her chest. “Control, that’s my residence. P.R. is my daughter. She’s sixteen-years-old. The four-thirteen she’s armed with is registered to me.”

  “Acknowledged Nora-three. Victor-one and Tom-six-thirteen are responding. I will pass this information on to them. Are you rolling code Nora-three?”

  “Affirm. Code three. We are en route to Northeast. I will to need to sign out secure when I arrive on scene.”

  “Affirm, Nora-three. I will have the watch commander contact you on your mobile.”

  Jen couldn’t get home fast enough. All she could picture in her mind was her poor daughter hiding in the bathroom and that bastard breaking down the door and hurting her. Would Lada use the gun as Jen taught her to or would she panic and freeze? Jen had to believe her daughter would defend herself, there was no other acceptable outcome.

  “She’s a smart kid, she’s gonna be fine.” Trace gripped the oh-shit handle when she turned a corner.

  “If she’s not, I’m gonna kill that motherfucker,” Jen ground out between her clenched teeth.

  “Units responding to four-oh-six at forty-five-sixteen Tree Line, neighbor called reporting shots fired. Break. I’ve tried recalling the P.R. There is still no answer. Break. Call taker will keep trying to contact the P.R. Proceed with caution. I’ll get you another back as soon as one is available. Break.”

  “No.” The word barely made it passed Jen’s lips. She gripped the steering wheel to control her shaking hands.

  “Pull over and let me drive,” Trace ordered.

  “It’ll waste time. I’m not stopping.”

  “Landing us upside down in a wash will waste even more time. Pull over. You’re in no condition to drive.”

  Jen glanced at the speedometer and reluctantly admitted Trace was right. She was clocking ninety-five in a forty-five zone. She pulled over, and they quickly changed positions and were back on the road in less than a minute.

  “Control, Victor-one.”

  “Victor-one, copy.”

  “We’ve arrived on scene. Tom-six-thirteen and I are entering the residence. Break.”

  Jen held her breath and listened to the radio as the officers on scene coordinated their entry. God couldn’t this damn car go any faster?

  “Only if you want me to flip us.”

  “You can read minds, now?”

  “No, you said that out loud.”

  It seemed like forever, but she knew only a minute or two had passed when Victor One’s voice came over the radio again.

  “Control, Victor-one.”

  “Victor-one, copy.”

  “I need you to dispatch the ME for a four-nineteen. An HMA. Also, could you send someone out with a camera?” Jennifer was going to throw up. Her heart stopped until they confirmed the dead body was a Hispanic male adult. “Nora-three. Victor-one.”

  “Go ahead, Victor-one,” Jen responded on the radio.

  “P.R. is secured, Nora-three. Control. Tom-six-thirteen and Victor-one are code four.”

  “Oh, thank god.” Jen closed her eyes and took a deep breath then blew it out. “Victor One. Thank you. Would you tell her I’m on the way?”

  “Affirm Nora-three. She was asking.”

  They turned onto Tree Line ten minutes later and although, Jen knew Lada was alright, her heart stuttered at the sight that greeted her. Her fellow officers out to support one of their own. Several units―more than were actually dispatched to the scene―were parked up and down her street. Their flashing blue lights casting an eerie glow. Her neighbors were outside their houses pulling a looky-loo. Trace pulled along the curb in front of Jen’s house. She was out the door and running up the walkway before he came to a complete stop.

  She ran through her front door and her heart finally started beating normally again when she saw her daughter sitting on their couch, wrapped in a blanket, tears running down her cheeks, but looking otherwise unharmed. It was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen.