Page 1 of Jericho

Prologue

Jericho

"Tell me again," she whispers.

"Peach," I whisper, my hand cupping her cheek.

There are a million other things I could think of doing with this gorgeous woman in my arms than talking about a future we may never have.

"Please," she begs, her bright blue eyes shining up at me as she pleads.

I pull in a deep breath and begin, "The cabin in the woods will be surrounded by massive trees. No one will even be able to tell our home is back there. We'll have all the privacy we've been wishing for."

I can't count how many nights I've lain awake thinking of this make-believe cabin and how I know, despite craving it with everything I have, it's not something we'll ever get.

"I want a puppy," she whispers.

"You'll get your puppy," I assure her. "We should leave now."

Her eyes grow wide, just like they always do when the conversation takes us in this direction.

"My father would never allow it. You know I'm promised to Damien."

"Then leaving is the only way we'll have a shot at what we've been dreaming about."

"We have to make plans," she urges. "We have time."

"The wedding date is set for next month. There is no time."

She shakes her head. Aspen is terrified of her father, and there's no way for me to make her see that I can keep her safe. Not with the secrets I've been keeping from her.

"Do you love me?" I ask.

"You know I do," she says, her chin trembling with emotion.

"Can I trust you?"

"Of course, my love," she assures me.

It gives me the confidence to pull in a deep breath and tell her everything I've been hiding from her.

"I need you to listen to everything I have to tell you, and you can't freak out."

My heart races. Everything I have worked for comes down to this moment and, if she doesn't trust me, there's a lot at stake, including my life.

"I promise," she says. I can see the truth of her words in her eyes, but she has no idea about the bomb I'm about to place between us.

"I'm a federal agent working with ICE to take down your father's empire."

She's motionless, blinking at me, like my confession was spoken in a foreign language she doesn't understand.

"What?" she asks, her head tilting to the side as she pushes her hands against my chest.

I won't repeat myself because I know she heard me just fine. I need to give her time to process what I've told her.

As my always bad luck will have it, the door to her bedroom opens.

My heart races for another reason when I see Damien, the man she's promised to, standing there glaring at us.

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