Cabin 1 Read online

  My heart officially stopped beating.

  He handed the little blue box to me, steady hands, confident. Melting.

  My hands, on the contrary, were trembling as I pulled the blue ribbon and opened the box.

  Inside laid a delicate diamond necklace with a red ruby pendant… exactly like the security necklace I’d worn when I was in Cabin 1… except exponentially more expensive. My breath caught in a gasp.

  I pulled it from the box. “Gage… this is…”

  “For you. I will always protect you, Niki.” He took it from my hands and turned over the pendent, revealing a small, black button. “It has the same call button as the other.” His eyes sparked. “I will always be there for you.”

  Breathless, I threw my arms around him, inhaling the fresh musk that was Gage. Always Gage.

  “There’s something else.” He pulled a larger box from the basket, this one wrapped in old, faded newspaper.

  I beamed from ear-to-ear. “Another gift?”

  He handed it to me. “Not the best wrapper, sorry. Open it.”

  Smiling like a kid on Christmas morning, I unwrapped the gift… revealing a box of dirt.

  I cocked a brow and tilted my head. “Uh… thanks?”

  He smiled. “The gift is what’s in it.”

  “Ants?”

  He laughed, leaned closer. “The seed to a red maple tree.”

  My heart dropped to my feet, along with my jaw.

  “Now you can have all the red leaves you want.”

  “Gage,” breathless, I stared at him.

  He took the box, cupped my face in his hands, his eyes swimming.

  “Niki Avery, I love you. I didn’t save your life. You saved mine.”

  Tears fell down my face. Yes, my life had changed. And I now, I couldn’t wait for the future.

  “I love you, too, Gage.”

  23

  Gage

  It was almost ten in the evening by the time Niki and I had made it back to the house. Diamonds, dirt, and champagne set the scene for a decent dinner and explosive sex under the sunset. Then, some more, under the stars. I was happy, languid, content. Three things I hadn’t felt in a very long time.

  Ax, Gunner, and Dallas had taken to the kitchen for a nightcap.

  Me? I’d taken Niki into my arms and carried her upstairs to my bedroom.

  “No cabin?” She said softly against my chest, the buzz of champagne and orgasms making her beautiful eyes swim.

  “No cabin. You’re under my lock and key now.” I flipped back the covers of my four-poster king bed and laid her down. She looked up at me with tired, happy eyes.

  A knot grabbed my throat and for the second time that evening, hell, maybe for the second time in my life, I felt the sting of tears. I leaned down, kissing her forehead softly, and whispered, “I love you, Niki. I fucking love you, so much.”

  “I love you, too, Gage.”

  It wasn’t five minutes later that she fell asleep. I stroked her hair watching the heavy rise and fall of her chest until I was certain she was in a deep sleep, a happy, restorative sleep. I kissed her one more time, inhaling the scent of her shampoo, the scent of my Niki.

  “I’ll be back,” I whispered.

  One last look and I quietly padded out of the room, clicking the door closed behind me.

  The hallway was dark, the house silent, still. Not a sound anywhere, not the low hum of a television, music, conversation in the kitchen. Nothing.

  An eerie stillness grabbed me, an instinct, a gut feeling that something wasn’t right.

  I paused, standing motionless, listening to the deafening silence around me, feeling the heaviness of the air.

  My pulse picked up, and that alarmed me. No, something wasn’t right.

  I looked up and down the hall, my gaze landing on Dad’s office at the end, and the dim glow underneath the door.

  Like a magnet, I made my way past the staircase, each step quicker than the last. Tunnel visioned, everything around me started to blur. I broke out in a jog.

  As I neared the last door on the left, the thrum of my pulse echoed in my head like a war drum, moments before a bloodbath.

  “Feen?” I turned the knob, the hammer in my chest almost crippling.

  The door creaked open.

  My eyes locked on my brother, slumped over our father’s chair, with a bullet in his head.

  ******

  Ready for Ax’s story?

  From multi-award-winning romantic suspense author Amanda McKinney comes the second book in the steamy, edge-of-your-seat, three-part series, Steele Shadows Security…

  Hidden deep in the remote mountains of Berry Springs is a private security firm where some go to escape, and others find exactly what they’ve been looking for.

  Welcome to Cabin 1, Cabin 2, Cabin 3…

  PRE-ORDER CABIN 2 TODAY - Click HERE

  About the Author

  Amanda McKinney is the bestselling and multi-award-winning author of more than ten romantic suspense and mystery novels. She wrote her debut novel, LETHAL LEGACY, after walking away from her career to become a writer and stay-at-home mom. Her books include the BERRY SPRINGS SERIES, STEELE SHADOWS SECURITY, and the BLACK ROSE MYSTERY SERIES, with many more to come. Amanda lives in Arkansas with her handsome husband, two beautiful boys, and three obnoxious dogs.

  Text AMANDABOOKS to 66866 to sign up for Amanda’s Newsletter and get the latest on new releases, promos, and freebies!

  www.amandamckinneyauthor.com

  If you enjoyed Cabin 1, please write a review!

  THE AWARD-WINNING BERRY SPRINGS SERIES

  The Woods (A Berry Springs Novel)

  The Lake (A Berry Springs Novel)

  The Storm (A Berry Springs Novel)

  The Fog (A Berry Springs Novel)

  The Creek (A Berry Springs Novel)

  The Shadow (A Berry Springs Novel)

  The Cave (A Berry Springs Novel)

  STEELE SHADOWS SECURITY

  Cabin 1 (Steele Shadows Security)

  Cabin 2 (Steele Shadows Security) **Coming Nov 2019**

  Cabin 3 (Steele Shadows Security) **Coming Winter 2019**

  Like your sexy murder mysteries with a side of evil witch? Check out THE BLACK ROSE MYSTERY SERIES about three super-rich, independent, badass sisters who run a private investigation company in a creepy, southern town…

  Devil’s Gold (A Black Rose Mystery, Book 1)

  Hatchet Hollow (A Black Rose Mystery, Book 2)

  Tomb’s Tale (A Black Rose Mystery Book 3)

  Evil Eye (A Black Rose Mystery Book 4)

  Sinister Secrets (A Black Rose Mystery Book 5)

  Dragon’s Breath (A Black Rose Mystery Book 6)

  Skull Shore (A Black Rose Mystery Book 7)