The Agency series: Part Two
Intimate Knowledge
While camping Jennifer unwittingly stumbles upon a corrupt conspiracy. Only Saul — her best friend since childhood—can help her unravel the complex plot and keep her safe.
When Jennifer Mabbot goes camping in the Forest of Dean for some much needed soul-searching, she had no idea her life was about to take a very drastic turn. Witnessing a strange man burying a wooden box in the middle of the night, she thought it strange but nothing overly noteworthy.
Until, that is, she came home to be confronted by two men, clearly intent on hurting her for the whereabouts of the burial site. Turning to the only person she could trust—her life-long best friend, Saul Haslen—she asks for help and gets more than she could possibly bargain for.
Jennifer knows Saul does some sort of Government work, but actually he is an elite member of The Agency. With danger coming from all sides and neither of them fully understanding what's happening, they must work together to uncover the truth.
Before, Jennifer would have sworn she knew practically everything there was to know of Saul. But they are both learning more about each other, personally and sexually. Within that intimate knowledge lies the key to both their futures, and lasting happiness.
Unearthed Treasure
Chelsea and David have been working a year and a half to stop a smuggling ring. While discovering the last link, they unearth a far greater treasure—that of each other's love.
Chelsea Atchison and David Greer have been working deep undercover for the last eighteen months to break a smuggling ring. Finally uncovering a workable lead they join the crew with the intention of helping them break into and steal from the National Gallery of London. What they hadn't expected to uncover was the simmering desire for one another.
With no one but each other to trust, surrounded on all sides by their enemy and even their beloved work place—The Agency—starts to doubt them. The trust Chelsea and David had built between themselves explodes passionately into much, much more.
Still, they need to focus on the big picture, discovering the shadowy boss that the smuggling crew is answerable to and bringing him and the others to justice. When that involves breaking every law in the book, what's one more—sexual intimacy between colleagues?
Burning Intensity
El works for the Agency, fixing their toughest problems. James is a thief, and her ex lover. El is used to working through the messiest difficulties, but this might be too much for her to handle alone.
Eleanor Williams and her partner Robert Stevens have been called in to ‘fix’ the slight problem of a stolen Cezanne painting. Used to being assigned the difficult problems, El figures it’s another day at the office. Until she finds she needs an expert consultant. Someone used to the art world, and familiar with the criminal mind of a thief.
A thief like her ex-lover—James Waters.
The relationship between them is messy, nothing like what she’s used to on the job. But with other agents involved in the successful resolution of this problem, she can’t afford to let personal hassles impede her work.
As she spends more time with James, she discovers he’s still the same man she loved to distraction, but he’s also far more layered and complicated than she could have guessed. Facing challenges in her usual forthright manner, she can only hope that he can keep up with her as the situation becomes even more convoluted. And as for the burning intensity that flares between them… Who said life should be easy?
General Release Date: 6th August 2019
Jennifer rounded the corner and turned into her street. Her head bent low against the misty, drizzling rain, she tugged her beanie as far as it could go. Her ears were starting to freeze off. Focusing on her steps, she remained oblivious to the world around her, her attention focused on the long, steaming hot bath she planned to take the second she entered her flat.
Never had she been more grateful for a Friday. Despite the fact she’d only worked the last three days after returning from the Forest of Dean, she was exhausted, chilled to the bone and weary in a way she’d hoped to overcome on her short camping trip. She felt like she’d worked a full week, and considering the pile of still unfinished work she’d left behind, that just depressed her spirits even further.
A few doors down from her flat she tugged one glove off and dug it into an outside pocket of her work satchel. The strap was across her chest, the satchel itself resting against her upper thigh to make it more difficult for a random thief to snatch it from her. The bag was battered from years of use, but Jennifer didn’t care, she loved this satchel. It had tons of pockets of all shapes and sizes. She kept an umbrella in one, her phone in another, pens and a notebook in case she had an idea—or a shopping list—to jot down in random moments, all sorts of paraphernalia secreted into its depths.
A smaller zippered compartment on the outside was perfect for holding her keys. It was this she undid and rummaged through, determined to not waste precious seconds standing on her front step in the cold. Jennifer had plans, big ones. First she’d start running the hot water. This would be quickly followed by stripping and putting on her worn, fluffy robe. Then a strong drink. Oh yeah. She deserved something decadent. Maybe a hot toddy?
Her mind full of these lovely thoughts, Jennifer kept her head down and her focus internal. She climbed up the stairs, keys in hand and entered her tiny flat. Instinct took over as she started ticking off the items on her mental to-do list. She dropped the keys in the bowl by the door and switched on the lights as she kicked the door closed behind her.
Without missing a beat she strode directly for the bathroom, still rugged up in her winter gear and wearing her satchel. She was halfway across her living room, heading for the hall and her awaiting bath when an enormous figure stepped out of the kitchen.
Jennifer screamed shrilly.
Well over six feet and heavily muscled in a powerful, weights-pumping manner, the thickset man grinned. It wasn’t a pleasant thing, but an expression that made her stomach churn sickly.
"Well, lookee here, who’s come home finally."
Jennifer froze, surprise overpowering her. She could see this man, but his presence didn’t seem to want to compute in her brain.
"Aww, she’s gone all shy," he continued as he scratched his ginger beard. His grin widened. "Well, I’m not too worried about that, I’m sure you’ll be very verbal once I get to work on you."
Jennifer shook her head and took a shaking step back. She knew—or rather desperately hoped—in a second or so she’d turn into some sort of superhero. Part of her mind envisaged herself fighting this man, beating him senseless and fleeing, but her body refused to do anything but quiver.
"What do you want?" she asked, struggling to hide the fear that threatened to overpower her completely. She flicked her gaze up and down him, trying to make sense of the situation. Her eyes were drawn to his heavy work-man’s boots. They were cracked, worn and clearly well used. It was the most normal, least threatening thing for her brain to latch onto. It took a second, but she finally understood why that detail captured her attention. Those boots weren’t what a regular thief would wear. They were thick-soled, clompy and noticeable. Coupled with the man’s powerful physique it suggested to her that he was no ordinary thief.
Which meant he was there to hurt her, or worse.
Jennifer took another quick step back, her heart pounding harder.
"Now don’t be like that," he mocked in his rough voice. "We’re going to be great friends, you and I."
Elizabeth Lapthorne has been writing professionally since 2002. She has a number of books released and is continually surprised by how much fun she has starting a new book and discovering new characters and situations that they put themselves in. She enjoys going to the gym (usually to chew over her latest problem scene), is rarely without a partially read book and has a weakness for chocolate.
Elizabeth loves to hear from her fans and checks her email religiously.
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