Title: A Touch of Danger
Series: Surviving Vihaan, Book One
Author: Elaine White
Publisher: NineStar
Press
Release Date: February 10, 2020
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 66400
Genre: Paranormal, LGBTQIA+, action/adventure,
Alpha males, bonded, big cat shifters, college, spying, law enforcement
Drew’s
life sucks. Saving money to escape his homophobic family is one thing, but his
only paying gig at the moment is playing his father’s “only gay in the village”
plus-one to every LGBT friendly business event.
Then
his brother comes up with a plan. Sheffield needs someone to go undercover for
his police investigation. Drew has all the qualifications: he’s gay, he has
experience with exotic animals, and he’s college-aged. And he’s easily bought.
Going
undercover to solve the mystery of a college campus smuggling ring was never in
his plans. Neither was hot, perfect, house captain Rylee. The inside jokes
about cats, animal prints, and talk of a place called Vihaan that forbids
same-sex relationships, are just the tip of the suspicious iceberg.
Little
does Drew know that he’s about to expose more than an illegal smuggling
operation. The truth could be more lethal than he could imagine. And, despite
it all, it might be his own secret past that kills him before the truth can be
unveiled.
Excerpt
A
Touch of Danger
Elaine
White © 2020
All
Rights Reserved
Chapter
One
“Care
to run it by me again?” Drew rubbed his jaw, trying to stifle his laughter
while his brother prowled the small office.
“We
think they’re smuggling exotic animals,” Sheffield explained, with a drawn-out
sigh.
“Through
a fraternity house?”
“Yes.”
His brother glared, as though he was the crazy one for questioning this “case”
he’d been asked to consult on.
Drew
took a slow, steady breath and asked, “You know this, how?” He was trying not
to sound judgemental, but he wasn’t buying this story. What the hell would a
bunch of fraternity brothers want with exotic animals? He paused…the idea
conjured uncomfortable images. He hoped there was no “bear pit” with the animals
or dubious sexual practices. He had a weak stomach and didn’t want any part of
that kind of investigation.
Still,
his brother was the big bad cop in the family. Drew was the runt; the unworthy
second son. Abandoned to do whatever he wanted with his life because he was
already a disappointment. There wasn’t much he could do to lower his position
in the family. But he was no cop, no action man, and no Sherlock Holmes. He
knew nothing about solving a case or how to look for evidence of “foul play”. And
he was allergic to certain animals.
“We’ve
had reports of wild animals on the grounds. When we sent an officer to
investigate, he was attacked by a large cat. When we tried to run the names and
identities of those living in the house, we came up with nothing. These people
don’t exist,” Sheffield explained, shaking his head as he paced the length of
the tiny room. “We sent in another man, undercover, to grab whatever DNA he
could get his hands on. What he brought back…well, the hair came back feline.
Exotic cats—a panther, a lion, and a cheetah.” Now Drew was getting the
heebie-jeebies. He wasn’t sure he wanted anything to do with exotic cats. He
wasn’t allergic to cats, which meant he would need to try harder to wiggle out
of this. “I’m not a cop.” And this was getting weirder by the second.
“No,
which will work for us. The last few cops we’ve sent in undercover have been
caught quickly. These guys are smart and professional.” The heavy stare
Sheffield levelled made Drew want to shrink. But he wasn’t a five-year-old
anymore. “You are a college kid looking for somewhere to belong. It will be
tough. They’re private and secretive. They barely socialise outside their group
of friends, and they don’t date outside the house.”
“Seriously?”
Raising his hands, Drew asked for a pause as he considered those words. This
job went beyond weird and into the downright kinky. “You mean—”
Sheffield
nodded, a grin spreading across his lips. “They’re gay, bi or trans. They call
themselves the LGBT House of Acceptance,” he revealed. Arching an amused
eyebrow while pretending not to find it hilarious.
“Nice
name,” Drew scoffed, knowing what Sheffield was implying.
“This
isn’t anything to laugh about. These guys are serious illegal traders, and we
need to shut them down,” he argued. The growl could have been funny if it
wasn’t for the fact he was being used.
“Let
me get this straight, brother of mine. You suggested me for this because I’m
gay, right?” he asked, getting straight to the point.
“It
helps.”
“Yeah.
You! It won’t help me much.”
Sheffield
waved off his concerns and sneered in his usual dismissive manner. “You’re a
hermit. This will be good for you,” he claimed. Drew knew he didn’t give a shit
whether it was good for him. Sheffield was like their dad—he thought being gay
was a choice Drew made when he turned sixteen and came out to the family. A
choice made to piss off everyone and gain attention because the almighty big
brother had been accepted into the Police Academy. Fuck them. He wasn’t as
narcissistic as his family.
“I
happen to like being a hermit.”
“Will
you do it? Because I need to tell my supervisor, and then we need to fit you
for a wire. You’ll be going in tonight.” Sheffield stopped his pacing to level
Drew with an intimidating stare which hadn’t worked since he was ten.
Nothing
like short notice.
“No
wire,” he decided.
“Excuse
me?” He growled—fucking growled!—and Drew wanted badly to do a fist pump, in
victory.
“You
said these guys are smart? Professional? They’ll spot a wire. They’ll probably
cavity search me,” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows. Sheffield was practically
pimping his brother out to criminals. Not like he’d turn down a good frisking
if the company was good-looking. “Let me handle it. I’ll get your evidence and
report back in a week. This Saturday.”
Hell,
he was being paid. He’d dress in a monkey suit and do the hula if they asked.
Maybe he could use the cash to get out of this shit hole?
Sheffield
raked both hands through his short dark hair. “The boss won’t like this,” he
complained, in a quiet, unsure voice.
Rising
from his seat, Drew tried hard not to smile. “Yeah, well he’s not done a great
job so far, has he? We’ll try it my way, and, if it doesn’t work, we’ll do it
your way,” he offered.
He
was going to get what he could out of this. Out of this town and well away from
his family. Sheffield was bearable in small doses, but the rest of his family
were vipers snapping at his heels. Each one determined to ignore and berate him
when he needed them. Ready to jump on board and use him for their own means
when they needed a boost.
Doing
this, for a bit of cash, was like when he’d attended an LGBT fundraiser with
his dad a year ago, in return for a year’s worth of college tuition. As long as
it got him away from his family, he had no dignity and no pride.
Not
a shred.
Purchase Links
Meet the Author
Elaine White is the author of
multi-genre MM romance, celebrating ‘love is love’ and offering diversity in
both genre and character within her stories.
Growing up in a small town and fighting
cancer in her early teens taught her that life is short and dreams should be
pursued. She lives vicariously through her independent, and often hellion
characters, exploring all possibilities within the romantic universe.
The Winner of two Watty Awards –
Collector’s Dream (An Unpredictable Life) and Hidden Gem (Faithfully) – and an
Honourable Mention in 2016’s Rainbow Awards (A Royal Craving) Elaine is a
self-professed geek, reading addict, and a romantic at heart.
Giveaway –
One lucky winner will receive a $10.00
NineStar Press Gift Code!
No comments:
Post a Comment