ULTIMATE COURAGE by Piper J. Drake *Release Day Blitz*
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title:
Ultimate Courage
Author:
Piper J. Drake
Series:
True Heroes, #2
On Sale:
July 26, 2016
Publisher:
Forever
Formats:
Mass Market & eBook
Price:
$6.99 USD (MM) / $5.99 USD (eBook)
LOVE IS AN
ACT OF BRAVERY
Retired
Navy SEAL Alex Rojas is putting his life back together, one piece at
a time. Being a single dad to his young daughter and working at
Hope's Crossing Kennels to help rehab a former guard dog, he
struggles every day to control his PTSD. But when Elisa Hall shows
up, on the run and way too cautious, she unleashes his every
protective instinct.
Elisa's
past never stays in her rearview mirror for long, and she refuses to
put anyone else in danger. But with Alex guarding her so fiercely yet
looking at her so tenderly, she's never felt safer . . . or more
terrified that the secrets she keeps could put countless people in
grave peril. The only way for both to fully escape their demons will
take the ultimate act of courage: letting go and learning to trust
each other.
Excerpt
You’ve got to be
insane.”
Elisa Hall took a
prudent step—or two—back as she observed the standoff brewing in
front of her. A tall man stood between her and the emergency room
reception desk, glaring at the woman in scrubs behind it. He stood at
an angle to Elisa, so he could see the reception desk to his right
and the entirety of the waiting area in front of him.
He clenched his
fists.
Elisa retreated
farther back toward the entrance, releasing her throbbing rist and
letting her hands fall to her sides. Harmless. Nothing to see here.
“I’m sorry,
sir, but ambulances take precedence over walk-ins,” the nurse
repeated. She was braver than Elisa would’ve been in the face of
rage on a level with the man’s at the counter.
He was dressed in
loose fitness shorts and a close-fitting black tee. His hands were
wrapped in some cross between tape and fabric.
“Fighter” might
as well have been printed across his very broad, muscular shoulders.
Actually, now that
she was looking, his tee said Revolution Mixed Martial Arts Academy.
Well, then.
Maybe she should just take more ibuprofen and forget about seeing a
doctor for her swollen wrist after all. Getting her injury examined
wasn’t worth staying anywhere near this guy.
The nurse glanced
quickly at Elisa then returned her attention to the man, her
expression softening with sympathy. “As soon as an examination room
opens up, we’ll get you in to see the doctor. Please, wait right
here and fill out these forms while I help this young lady.”
Wait, what?
The man’s face, and his focus, turned toward her. Oh,
great.
Usually she envied
nurses their ability to sympathize with so many patients and make
such a difference in their lives. Now was not one of those times.
Elisa squashed the
urge to bolt. Never ended well when she tried it. Better to hold very
still, wait until the anger in front of her burned itself out, and
pull herself together afterward.
Instead, she
fastened her gaze on the floor and tried to keep her body from
tensing visibly. Silently, she sang herself an inane nursery rhyme to
take her mind
off
the weight of the man’s intense glare. Please, please, let him walk
away. They were in public, and even though the emergency room waiting
area wasn’t packed, it still had a dozen people scattered around
the seats.
But the expected
explosion, shouting, other things . . .never happened. Instead, the
man had quieted. All of the frustrated aggression seemed to have been
stuffed away, somewhere.
She swallowed hard.
Relief eased her constricted throat, and she breathed slowly for the
time being. Leaving remained the best idea she had at the moment.
But he stepped away
from the counter and farther to her right, motioning with a wrapped
hand for her to step forward. As she forced her feet to take herself
closer to the reception desk—and past him—he gave her room.
Belatedly,
she realized his movement also happened to block her escape route
toward the doors. He couldn’t have done it on purpose, could he?
But Elisa took a step up to the reception counter and away from him
anyway.
“Yes, dear?”
The nurse’s gentle prompt made Elisa jump.
Damn it.
Elisa’s heart beat loud in her ears.
The nurse gave her
an encouraging smile. “Don’t mind him. He’s been here before.
I’ve already asked another nurse to bring ice packs as fast as
possible. I don’t
mind
if he blows off some hot air in my direction in the meantime. I would
be upset, too, considering today’s situation.”
Elisa bit her lip.
She could still feel the man standing behind her, his presence
looming at her back. He couldn’t possibly appreciate the nurse
sharing some of
his
private information. And he didn’t seem to need ice packs or any
other medical attention. He appeared very able-bodied. “It’s none
of my business.”
The nurse placed a
clipboard on the counter and wrinkled her nose. “Oh, trust me, the
entire waiting room knows what his concern is. Tell me what brought
you here.”
This might be the
most personable emergency room reception area Elisa had been to in
years, not counting the extremely angry man standing behind her. They
were either not very busy—not likely if all the examination rooms
were full up—or extremely efficient.
Efficiency meant
she could get in and out and decide what her next steps would be.
“My wrist.”
Elisa held out her left arm, her wrist obviously swollen. “I
thought it was just a bad sprain, but it’s been more than a few
days and has only gotten worse. I can barely move it now.”
And if she could
have avoided it, she definitely wouldn’t have stopped in to get it
treated. An emergency room visit, even with the help of her
soon-to-be nonexistent insurance, was still an expense she didn’t
need. It’d been six months or so since her last significant
paycheck, and she could not afford to extend her insurance much
longer. Plus, it might be better not to. One less way to track her.
“Is that your
dominant arm, dear?” The nurse held up a pen.
Elisa shook her
head.
“Oh, good. Leave
your ID and insurance card with me so I can make copies. Take a seat
over there to fill out this form and bring it back to me.”
Okay, then.
Elisa took the items and made her way toward the seating area,
thankful the nurse hadn’t asked her to give her name and pertinent
information verbally. It was always a risk to share those things out
loud.
She’d learned
over and over again. There was a chance a slip of information in the
unlikeliest of places would find its way to exactly the person she
didn’t want
to
have it. No matter how careful she’d been over the last several
months, it hadn’t been enough yet.
But it would be.
This time. She was learning, and she was free. Every day was a new
chance.
Nodding to herself,
Elisa looked for a seat. It might not be crowded, but just about
everyone in the room had decided to sit with at least a chair or two
buffer between them and the next person. The buffer seats were all
that were left, and most of the other people waiting to be seen were
either men, or women sitting with men.
Then she caught
sight of a young girl sitting with her legs crossed in the seat next
to the big planter in the corner. Slender, but long limbed, the girl
had a sweet face and the gangly look of a growing kid. Elisa guessed
the girl was maybe eight or nine, could even be ten. Hard to pin down
age when the kid had such an innocent look to her. The seat next to
her was open, and she was waiting quietly, hugging a big, blue, plush
. . . round thing. Whatever it was.
Elisa walked
quickly over, and when the girl looked up at her with big, blue eyes,
Elisa gave her the friendliest smile she could dig up. “Mind if I
sit next
to
you?”
The girl looked
around, her gaze lingering on the reception area behind Elisa for a
moment before saying, “Sure.”
Elisa took a seat.
After a few silent
moments, the little girl stirred next to her. “Are you sick?”
Well, paperwork
didn’t take much of her attention, and it’d been a while since
Elisa had been outside of her own head in a lot of ways. Conversation
would be
a
welcome change and a good distraction from the constant worry running
in the back of her mind. “Not sick so much as hurt. I won’t give
you the plague.”
A soft, strained
laugh. “Same here.”
Elisa
took a harder look at the big, plush toy. It wasn’t for comfort as
Elisa’d first assumed. It was supporting the girl’s slender left
arm, which was bent at an impossible angle.
“Oh my god.”
Why was she sitting here alone?
“Don’t worry.”
The girl gave her a quick thumbs-up with her right hand. “The
doctors are really good here, and I’m in all
the time.”
Such a brave face.
She had to be in an insane amount of pain. And here she was
encouraging Elisa.
“Is there someone
you should talk to about how often you get hurt?” Elisa struggled
for the right tone. It was one she’d heard more than once when
people had been concerned for her. Some places had safeguards in
place for . . .
Blue eyes widened.
“Oh, it’s not what you’re thinking. Trust me, people ask my
dad. And it’s not like that at
all. I study mixed martial
arts. I get bruised and
bumped
all the time, and usually it’s nothing, but Dad always makes me
come in to get checked.”
It was hard not to
believe in the earnest tone. But monsters were everywhere.
The girl gave her a
rueful smile, still amazing considering how much pain she had to be
in. “This time it wasn’t just a bump.”
“Which is why
they’re going to see you as soon as they can, Boom.”
Elisa hadn’t
heard the man approach. He was just there. He kneeled down in front
of the girl then gently tucked an ice pack around her arm while
moving it as
little
as possible. For her part, the girl hissed in pain but otherwise held
up with amazing fortitude.
Elisa
would’ve been in tears. The forearm had to be broken. Both bones.
It didn’t take a doctor to figure that out. No wonder the man had
been mad earlier. She’d want this girl to be seen as soon as
possible, too. She dropped her gaze, unable to watch.
“Here.” An ice
pack appeared in her view. “Your wrist should be iced, too. Take
down the swelling while you wait.”
Speechless, Elisa
looked up.
The man’s words
were gruff, awkward. His expression was blank. But his eyes—a
softness around his eyes—and a . . . quiet in the way he watched
her made her swallow and relax a fraction. Her heartbeat stuttered in
a fluttery kind of way. A completely different reaction from what she
should be experiencing if she were wise. She didn’t know this man
and he was probably married. The girl had a mother somewhere. Where?
Maybe on her way. This man was just being nice. Maybe.
Learn
from your mistakes. You never know who a person really is.
THE
TRUE HEROES SERIES
Extreme
Honor, #1
Ultimate
Courage, #2
Absolute
Trust, #3
BUY
THE BOOK HERE
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Piper J.
Drake (or "PJ") spent her childhood pretending to study for
the SATs by reading every interesting novel she could find at the
library. After being introduced to the wonderful world of romance by
her best friend, she dove into the genre.
PJ began
her writing career as PJ Schnyder, writing sci-fi & paranormal
romance and steampunk, for which she won the FF&P PRISM award as
well as the NJRW Golden Leaf award and Parsec award.
PJ's
romantic suspense novels incorporate her interests in mixed martial
arts and the military. The True Heroes series is inspired by her
experience rescuing, owning and training a variety of retired working
dogs, including Kaiser, a former guard dog, and Mozart, who was
trained to detect explosives.
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