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Dash of Peril
Lori Foster
A no-nonsense female cop reluctantly teams up with the one man who makes her lose control in a deliciously sensual new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori FosterTo bring down a sleazy abduction ring, Lieutenant Margaret "Margo" Peterson has set herself up as bait. But recruiting Dashiel Riske as her unofficial partner is a whole other kind of danger. Dash is six feet four inches of laid-back masculine charm, a man who loves life–and women–to the limit. Until Margo is threatened, and he reveals a dark side that may just match her own….Beneath Margo's tough facade is a slow-burning sexiness that drives Dash crazy. The only way to finish this case is to work together side by side…skin to skin. And as their mission takes a lethal turn, he'll have to prove he's all the man she needs–in all the ways that matter….
A no-nonsense female cop reluctantly teams up with the one man who makes her lose control in a deliciously sensual new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster
To bring down a sleazy abduction ring, Lieutenant Margaret “Margo” Peterson has set herself up as bait. But recruiting Dashiel Riske as her unofficial partner is a whole other kind of danger. Dash is six feet four inches of laid-back masculine charm, a man who loves life—and women—to the limit. Until Margo is threatened, and he reveals a dark side that may just match her own….
Beneath Margo’s tough facade is a slow-burning sexiness that drives Dash crazy. The only way to finish this case is to work together side by side…skin to skin. And as their mission takes a lethal turn, he’ll have to prove he’s all the man she needs—in all the ways that matter….
Praise for New York Times bestselling author
Lori Foster
“Foster’s writing satisfies all appetites with plenty of searing sexual tension and page-turning action in this steamy, edgy, and surprisingly tender novel.”
—Publishers Weekly on Getting Rowdy
“Foster hits every note (or power chord) of the true alpha male hero.”
—Publishers Weekly on Bare It All
“A sexy, believable roller coaster of action and romance.”
—Kirkus Reviews on Run the Risk
“Bestseller Foster…has an amazing ability to capture a man’s emotions and lust with sizzling sex scenes and meld it with a strong woman’s point of view.”
—Publishers Weekly on A Perfect Storm
“Foster rounds out her searing trilogy with a story that tilts toward the sizzling and sexy side of the genre.”
—RT Book Reviews on Savor the Danger
“The fast-paced thriller keeps these well-developed characters moving.… Foster’s series will continue to garner fans with this exciting installment.”
—Publishers Weekly on Trace of Fever
“Steamy, edgy, and taut.”
—Library Journal on When You Dare
“Intense, edgy and hot. Lori Foster delivers everything you’re looking for in a romance.”
—New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz on Hard to Handle
Dash of Peril
Lori Foster
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Dear Reader,
For those of you with good memories, you’re going to read this book and then recall that I was rehabbing a broken elbow while writing it. So I need you to know I was already well into the book before I broke my elbow. Honest. My editor can vouch for me on that!
Pretty please don’t think, even for a second, that anything Margo goes through is in any way related to my own experiences. :::Grin:::
I very much hope you enjoy Dashiel “Dash” Riske and Lieutenant Margaret “Margo” Peterson. I love hearing from readers, so feel free to drop me a line. Oh, and before you ask, yes, Cannon is getting his own book, No Limits. His story will actually be the first book in a new series. To check on release dates, my website should always be your go-to resource, www.lorifoster.com (http://www.lorifoster.com).
Happy reading!
To Shana Schwer, best friend extraordinaire.
Not only because you find me an answer for every
police question I have, and love the UFC as much as I do, and are such a terrific pet lover. But because you’re you,
a pretty terrific person all the way around.
And extra thanks to Nancy Glembotzky,
the true owner to Oliver the cat, the ragdoll puppy-cat
I used to show Margo’s softer side. I love when my readers are also animal lovers like me! Thank you, Nancy,
for sharing Oliver with me.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE (#uf8b8f3e8-77d3-5790-b512-cee5ef453b93)
CHAPTER TWO (#u2001af65-a21a-59e8-bf3e-252e5974b138)
CHAPTER THREE (#u623b5c4e-d7ae-534e-921d-df3cb2edb325)
CHAPTER FOUR (#ua114a7dd-57c1-564f-b75a-5a2b1e46486a)
CHAPTER FIVE (#u5776ebe0-05b4-5726-bf6d-5b8af3468491)
CHAPTER SIX (#ue7d51068-754f-5462-8baa-b7bc9b8edf42)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#u2760f5c3-e3be-5ab9-b2de-4db11321d460)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINETEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
EXCERPT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE
FROZEN PELLETS OF sleet carried by the icy March winds stung Lieutenant Margaret Peterson’s face. The late snowstorm wasn’t uncommon.
Welcome to Warfield, Ohio.
With one gloved hand Margo held her coat closed at her throat. The other hand, ungloved, remained in her pocket as she hurried to her new car parked in the lot across from the bar. At 1:00 a.m. the streets were dark with minimal traffic. A lone streetlamp lent an angelic glow to the beautiful pearl color of her Lexus.
Closing out a bar wasn’t new for her; usually at times like these, in the quiet of the night after hours of being sized up by hungry men, she felt like Margo, not Margaret, a woman instead of a lieutenant. Despite her reasons for being at the bar this time, playing the game left her feeling sexier, softer, more vulnerable—the opposite of her kick-ass cop persona.
But right now, she was both soft woman and commanding lieutenant, balancing the image she needed to convey with the ability she’d honed.
For months she’d been unofficially undercover, hoping to glean information on the bastards who ensnared women, forcing them into seedy porn movies that included bondage, domination and some sick, sexually inspired discipline.
If the women had been willing, well then, she’d leave them to it. Who was she to judge? She wasn’t a hypocrite; she believed in consenting adults doing as they pleased.
But abducted women? Abused women?
The first young lady who’d come to them had been disoriented, confused and so incredibly scared. The bastards had grabbed her, blindfolded her and taken her to a vacant building, where they’d forced her to star in an underground porno. Maybe they’d let her go because they knew they’d be cleared out by the time anyone would find their location.
And maybe, just maybe, they had planned to only do one video. But like most sick fucks, once they got a taste of their perversion, they wanted more.
Margaret detested all bullies, took great pleasure in bringing down criminals, but she had a very special, deep-rooted red-hot hatred for men who sexually mistreated women. It was the worst type of degradation, the most demoralizing thing that could happen to a female.
Her heart beat harder, faster, just thinking of it. Fury rivaled the cold, heating her from the inside out with molten hatred.
Eventually, one way or another, she would crack this case and annihilate the ones responsible—or die trying.
Hanging in local bars—the very locations where the women were often targeted—had seemed an ideal setup. For too many months, right through the holidays, she had spent several nights a week on the prowl...without a single nibble.
Others had given up. The captain believed the bastards had either shut down or moved their enterprise elsewhere. In her bones, Margo sensed they were still around. And then, just last week, a woman showed up at the station. Bruised, traumatized, hysterical, she had barely escaped.
That made four instances now, two of them fatal. Margaret was determined to get to the bottom of it, so on top of the reignited but routine investigation, she kept her eyes and ears open while trolling the “less respectable” bars.
Nothing new in that, really.
Being a female lieutenant with tough-as-nails notoriety complicated dating. And with her particular tastes...
“You shouldn’t be out here alone.”
Before she could register that deep voice as someone she recognized, Margo had her coat open, her loaded Glock in her hand.
The weapon didn’t faze him.
Tall and handsome and far too carefree, he stared into her eyes. Even in the dim light through the never-ending sleet, she saw his crooked smile and she felt his anticipation.
Well, hell. Spending hours in a classless bar amid nasty drunks had less impact on her tension than Dashiel Riske’s half smile.
She didn’t lower the gun, but she did keep her finger off the trigger. “Stupid move, Dash.”
“Approaching you in the dark?” He stepped closer and, moving her gun hand aside, put his fists in the lapels of her coat and pulled it closed against the blustering wind. The position had his hands near her breasts—and caused her heartbeat to stall. “Would you shoot me?”
“No.” She was trained enough to discern a threat before firing. “But I might slug you.”
Taking liberties, he slid his hands up and under her collar to draw her closer. “Is that forthcoming?” He angled his face down to hers. “Should I duck for cover?”
“No.” If he weren’t so warm, she’d have pushed him away. Maybe.
Dash was such a player, never taking anything seriously—most especially not women. Where other men hesitated, he forged on with sensual confidence born from success.
For a while there he’d hung at the bars with her, specifically Rowdy’s bar, Getting Rowdy, the closest to where the women had been grabbed. He’d adequately allowed her to use him as a prop in her scam. With Dash, she could pretend to be an easy drunk and easier prey.
Even though she’d sometimes sat on his lap, kissed his neck or ear—even felt him up—other women had come on to him. She didn’t like to think he’d done without during their ruse.
