Sanctuary of Secrets Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Information

  Also by K. W. Hall

  ABOUT SANCTUARY OF SECRETS

  My Mission

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Epilogue

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  About the Author

  SANCTUARY

  OF

  SECRETS

  Book Two in the Sinful Secrets Series

  K.W. HALL

  Copyright © 2022 K.W. Hall

  All rights reserved.

  Editor: Liz Long, Blue Fire Media

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review.

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

  Visit www.kwhallnovels.com

  for updates on upcoming releases.

  ALSO BY K.W. HALL

  SINFUL SECRETS SERIES:

  Satisfying Secrets

  Saving Secrets (November 2022)

  THE WAR OF FATE SAGA:

  The Songs of Fate

  The Sisters of Fate (2023)

  ABOUT

  SANCTUARY

  OF

  SECRETS

  DANGEROUS MEN HUNT CHLOE, not only for who she is but what she has created.

  In exchange for Conrad’s protection, Chloe offers something she might not be able to give—a weapon.

  Aden Helms shouldn’t touch the tech genius Chloe Fields. But he can’t deny his fascination with the strange woman or the secrets she’s hiding. Unlike Conrad, Aden only demands one thing in exchange for Chloe’s safety… her kiss.

  Will Aden be enough to save Chloe from her past, or will both their lives go up in flames?

  My mission is to inspire and entertain readers

  with exceptional novels.

  I am K.W. Hall, author of romance, fantasy, and paranormal fiction. I have a radical idea—offer various eBooks series for FREE!

  I believe the creation of art, in my case stories, is pure magic and joy which is why I want everyone to have access to it. You can read the eBooks in the Sinful Secrets series for free.

  If you love my stories and want to support the creation of more free series, please do so via my website! At kwhallnovels.com I offer exclusive content, monthly giveaways, and early access to my books before they are released. If there is a story you absolutely loved or burning questions you need answered about my novels, contact me! All of my books contain a spicy love story, but don’t let that deter you from picking them up if you’re not a romantic. If you relish books with suspense, unexpected plot twists, and some bloodshed, try a K.W. Hall novel!

  I have been a registered nurse and an exercise physiologist, but my passion is writing. Since I was a child, books were my escape from reality. Still today, a good story can transport me into another world and this is what I want to do for all of my readers. I have chosen to provide my eBooks for free with the plan of translating them into different languages and formats for even more people to enjoy.

  Support the Creation of New Stories for All:

  Website: kwhallnovels.com

  Twitter: @KWHallwriter

  Instagram: @k.w.hall

  This book is dedicated to my parents,

  Chuck and Daphine.

  Thank you for being Mom and Dad.

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHLOE

  A NEW CITY. A SECOND CHANCE. Conrad gave me a new life, and I should be grateful. God knows I owed the man more than what I’d given him. Probably should offer up my firstborn. Now that was a joke. I’d have to stay still long enough—stop fleeing from city to city—and, oh, touch a man. I hadn’t been in a man’s arms in… well… long before I went on the run. Before I was on most three-letter-named agencies’ radars.

  Back then all I needed was a good internet connection and a sandwich to rule the world. My stomach churned at the memory of the cheese crackers I devoured last night. I hadn’t had a full meal in a few days. I’d been waiting on Conrad to give me my identity before I surfaced. He finally contacted me yesterday with instructions on my new persona. With my freshly-dyed blond hair, I looked older than my twenty-five years.

  I did a double-take in the rearview mirror. I hated my new self more than the old one. My name sounded like a cheap hooker, and I didn’t look far from it. Just great. I was two steps away from shaking my ass on a stage while men in cowboy hats put twenties in my G-string.

  Ha. Twenties. Try singles, honey. You’re not that pretty, and you can’t dance.

  Once again, thank you, Conrad. A different name and a new job in Nashville saved me from resorting to taking my clothes off for money. What more could a girl ask for? Well, somewhere to live would be a decent start.

  According to my paper map, because a cell phone was too much of a risk, I was only a few miles from my pathetic home—a dicey hotel where most people paid by the hour, instead of the night. It was grimy. I wouldn’t be able to afford even it for more than a few days, but tonight, like last night, it would be home.

  I checked the rearview mirror a third time. The white sedan had been following me for the past ten miles. I slowed down in the freezing rain to let it pass. But it braked as well and continued behind me at a crawl. The windows were too tinted to make out the driver.

  Do not freak out. It’s probably a soccer mom inching behind you because she’s paranoid about driving in the winter weather. It’s not a tail. You’re fine. You only left the motel for a few hours.

  I gently applied more pressure to the brakes.

  Come on. Go around me. You know you want to.

  I saw the upcoming bridge ahead. The car needed to pass me or get the hell off my rear before we made it to the river. I could see the glimmer of ice already accumulating on the road.

  I needed to take it easy. I hadn’t seen anyone following me for a few days. I was under Conrad’s protection now, and no human in their right mind would come after Conrad. Unless they lacked self-preservation instincts. He was one scary motherfucker. And he knew people. He was the dangerous ex-military type of man who employed even scarier people. Or so I’d heard. Conrad and his men were known to be the best in private contracting. His teams were infamous in the underground circles that I’d dabbled in while trying to figure out how to survive.

  Conrad and his men were brutal, solid to the core, and always ready for a fight when someone brought it to their doorstep. It was the reason I accepted his help. I’d met the man a few times over the past seven years, after he made his presence known when I graduated high school. He’d known who I was because I’d been on his watch list since
I was sixteen. He’d tried to hire me then, but I’d been flippant and naïve.

  Oh, how time changes perspective.

  The car behind me hit the gas and passed me as my tires hit the bridge. It did a hazardous one-eighty into the empty opposing lane. Then gunned the accelerator veering back into my lane and straight toward me.

  I hit on the brakes, but I didn’t see the black sedan behind the white car. The black vehicle slammed into my rear. I ricocheted off its bumper. The white car jack-knifed to into my front end, striking the front side of my little Nissan.

  I lost control of the steering wheel first. Then my world turned upside down before I realized I was freefalling. It was the same exact physical reaction I’d had my first time breaking into a government database—complete terror. I closed my eyes and held my breath.

  They found me. It’s too late. Conrad’s good, but no one can save me now.

  #

  ADEN

  CONRAD DIDN’T MENTION WHY I should be tailing the little black Nissan, but he gave me strict orders to follow it until it reached Sunset Motel, then report back as soon as the person entered their room. Usually, I did overseas operations and logistics for AMN, Conrad’s agency, but every now and then he’d put me on a quick favor.

  I’d finished the mission reports and equipment checks that needed to be done before the winter storm really got into full swing, so Conrad asked if I could help him out. I didn’t mind it. I preferred to go on a drive rather than stay in the office space and watch Reginn get his climbing gear prepared while he blabbed on and on about his date last night.

  This weather was beginning to look like we should be closer to Anchorage than Nashville, but I liked the challenge. Until I saw the two other sedans following my little Nissan. I stayed back to assess the situation. There was a decent chance they were following the car for Conrad as well. The man was sneaky. If he was testing me again, I was going to have a talk with him about his unprecedented trust issues.

  Somedays I wondered why I worked for the man.

  Then I’d begrudgingly remember Conrad gave me the autonomy to develop my mission profiles how I best saw fit, something the Marines had never allowed. He gave me the freedom to make a difference with my work, how I chose, whether I was working stateside or in foreign territory. As long as I completed the objective, Conrad didn’t have many qualms of how I did it. For a man like me, independence meant everything.

  But occasionally Conrad liked to assess my skills. Make sure I was still sharp.

  Is this one of those times?

  When the black sedan rammed the car from behind, then the white SUV stuck the side, forcing the car to roll over the guardrail and into the icy river, I gunned it. I withdrew my firearm, but I was too late. The SUVs sped off before I could get a good shot.

  Damn it. Conrad’s going to kill me.

  I unbuckled my seatbelt and rammed my Jeep onto the shoulder, where the bridge ended and the slick slope to the river began. There wasn’t time to alert Conrad and let him know his suspicions were correct—whoever was in this car was being hunted.

  I scrambled down the bank and into the freezing water. We’d been in a drought lately. The water level was lower than normal, making the river’s current manageable. By the time I reached the upside-down car, the water flowed over my shoulders.

  Please be alive.

  I reared back with the tire iron to break to driver’s window. But I paused when I heard the passenger’s side window shatter. I swam to the opposite side of the car in time to see a tiny woman slip through the broken glass. She took a giant gulp of air after breaking the surface of the frigid water. A line of blood ran down her forehead. She shook with such ferocity I thought she’d break apart as she treaded water.

  Her eyes locked onto the bridge as soon as she was free from the car.

  “Grab my hand. You might be seriously injured. Let me take you to the bank,” I yelled from behind her over the sounds of the river.

  The tiny woman turned her emerald-green eyes on me, and I could’ve sworn I’d never seen a more terrified creature in my life. Her eyes darted to the bridge, then back to me.

  She kicked back, away from me. “No!”

  “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. I saw your car go off the road. I’m here to help.”

  She shook her head quickly, the blood now seeping into her eyes. “No. Don’t come any closer.” She swam away from me, deeper into the center of the river.

  I could tell she couldn’t stand in this depth, unlike me. In a few minutes even her adrenaline wouldn’t keep her from hypothermia.

  “You need me. Take my hand. Come on.”

  “No. I need out of the river. I can swim. Get out of my way.” Her eyes flicked to the riverbank, to the to the mass of frost-covered mud a hundred yards away from us.

  At least she was looking in the right direction now. The pile she gazed at was the best spot to swim to from here. The current would aide her, but she’d still need to use all of her energy to keep it from completely sweeping her further downstream.

  Should I tell her Conrad sent me? Will that make her trust me more, or will that send her over the edge into panic? Does she know who Conrad is, and why I was sent to her?

  Best not to mention Conrad. He prefers to remain unknown.

  “Fine. Swim. Do it yourself but let the current help you to the edge right there. That pile of limbs is what you need to go for.” I saw the hesitation in her eyes. She was debating rather I was telling her the truth. “Let go of the car and swim, or I do it for the both of us before we freeze to death!”

  Her feeble fingers let go of the car as her legs produced strong kicks. I let the stream carry me closer to her. Then I nudged her with my body, preventing the current from doing what I feared, pushing her downstream. If she went, then I was going with her too.

  Once I came close enough to the side of the river, I grabbed a tree limb and used my shoulder to push her toward the riverbank. I produced enough momentum to swing my body onto land. I yanked her arm by the shoulder and forced her on to the shore with me.

  Standing with my back against the whipping winter air, I knew we were both in trouble if we didn’t get in my Jeep soon. I started to shed the remaining layers of clothing I had on.

  The woman watched me with a dazed look of horror on her face. “What are you doing? Don’t do that!”

  “I’m trying to keep us alive. Your turn. Take the wet clothes off.”

  “Nooo.” She crossed her trembling arms over her body and tried to crawl away from me. Not in the right direction of the Jeep.

  “Listen. I don’t care to see you naked either, but we have to walk to my car up there and that’s going to take a minute. If you leave your clothes on in the wind, you will hate yourself, then not be able to walk. Trust me. Take your clothes off, or I’ll do it for you.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHLOE

  “WHO THE HELL DO YOU think you are?” I screamed.

  I needed to get as far away from this deranged red-haired man as fast as humanly possible. He could be one of them—a part of the people who wanted me dead. So far, they’d never stopped to talk, but this could be a new tactic. A strange way to get me even more vulnerable. Run me off the road, then strip me down.

  The man was on me before I could blink. Instead of trying to rip my shirt off like he promised, he swept me up against his enormous bare chest. Icicles had formed on his tendrils of soggy hair, but his short beard was frost-free—most likely too short to hold much water.

  I strained against his chest. Or at least I tried. My muscles contracted so violently I couldn’t put up much of a fight.

  My knife.

  It was in my ankle holster. I’d forgotten about it in the wreck.

  I could use it once he set me down. He’d never see it coming.

  I couldn’t lift my arm with enough force to swat a fly, let alone break the man’s hold he had on me, so I’d have to wait, until the right moment.

  His bo
dy sheltered mine from the harshness of the wind. With his quick strides, we were standing by a Jeep hazardously parked on the side of the road in only a few minutes.

  He set my soggy-booted feet down on the layer of ice and frost.

  I could reach for the knife as soon as he turned his back. I needed an opening, a distraction. Then I could stab or flee.

  “Strip and get in,” he said.

  He turned and unlocked the door, then went to the passenger’s side.

  This was my chance. The only moment I might get.

  Run!

  I made two giant steps before my unsteady legs gave out.

  “Aw, hell. What are you doing now?” the man yelled.

  No! How can I be this pathetic?

  I fumbled to reach for the small, sharp knife hidden under the right leg hem of my jeans.

  The man wrapped his corded arms around my torso and lifted my frozen, rigid body from the ground.

  “Do that again, and I’ll throttle you while thinking twice about saving you.”

  “Wwwhat?”

  “Act like a child and I’ll treat you like one. Don’t run from me. I’m not going to hurt you. But I swear, I will not stop at stripping your clothes off. I will spank that tiny ass and tie you to the passenger’s seat if you make me run after you again.”

  I’d never been turned on by a threat before, but his words were so guttural, so intense, like the giant man holding me.

  I couldn’t stop my reaction to him.

  My breath caught in my chattering mouth.

  “What do you plan to do with me?”

  “Keep you alive. I thought this was obvious by now. Good Samaritans shouldn’t have to work this hard!”

  He doesn’t seem like the men hunting me. But he also doesn’t seem like a casual passerby. Unless this is just the South? Are all men this pushy down here?