Hi there, lovelies, we’re back with more from my upcoming release ‘Early Sins’, the prequel for ‘Lethal Sin‘. I just premiered the title of this book to my mailing list this past weekend, and I can’t wait to show you guys the amazing cover (once we’re done tweaking it). If you’ve already read ‘Lethal Sin’ you may have been a little curious about Camille’s sordid past, about how she got involved in the assassin game, which ultimately puts her on the path to collide with Mateo in the first book. I was so caught up in Camille’s story myself that this prequel started flowing out. I’m not sure when I’ll have it finished (hopefully out before the end of August), but in this scene Camille is out training with Smith and he is watching her, tormented by the knowledge she’s shared of why she started killing in the first place…

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With a groan Smith stopped at the side of the path, staring off at the rolling lawn of the park in front of him where couples were taking picnics, kids were playing, dogs barking – it was so picturesque, peaceful.

“What the fuck, Smith? Are you trying to ditch me?” C slowed to a stop next to him, her breathing a little harder than it would have been six months before when she was in peak shape.

“Really, C? Language. There are children.” He chastised her, but in truth he didn’t really mind. Her mouth was just another aspect of her personality that kept him from going cold through and through, she was his lifeline to a normal world – even if she didn’t know it.

“Yeah, right, the kids. I’m sure they’ve never heard the word fuck in their lives.” Bracing her hands on her knees she took deep breaths, in through her nose and out through her mouth until it slowed.

“We have another mile to go.”

“Are you fucking kidding? We’ve gone three miles already, you think this dickbag is going to try and run from me? For three miles?” She shoved the errant strands of white blonde hair off her forehead, clearing the sweat from her face with her forearm. Her skin was getting a hint of the gold of summer already, and as they stood there he noticed the way men glanced at her in her running gear. Skin tight from head to toe, and it made him want to block her from their view, cover her in a shapeless sack – or kill them for looking.

Who are you to feel possessive?  No one.

“If you want to argue we’ll run two more, it’s up to you.”

“You’re such an asshole,” she muttered but then she took off ahead of him. From behind he tried to ignore the sight of her body moving underneath the black and pink running pants, and instead focused in on her right leg. Was her ankle wobbling more than the left? Was she still unsteady? Was the muscle ready for a fight if she needed it?

She’s ready. You know she is.

And that meant a job. A kill. Her first in this new life.

—

Even with the knowledge he has, Smith isn’t cutting Camille any slack, and it’s working. It makes her stronger, it makes her work harder, and it makes sure that she doesn’t give any of her targets the benefit of the doubt. She’s cold, hard, and it’s exactly who she needs to be to survive in this world. Empathy only gets you killed.

Check out these other snippets from other books below!