Synopsis:
Jack Horwood hates owing favors. But when a simple day out to
treat Gareth to the best oysters in England leads to a discovery of drugs and
counterfeit money—things that neither Jack nor Gareth have the jurisdiction to
handle—he has to call in help. Help that doesn’t come cheap, and that forces
him to do something he promised himself he’d never do again—walk away from
Gareth and the family he’s starting to make for himself.
Three months undercover is a long time. After missing Gareth’s
birthday, Jack is determined not to miss their first anniversary. But coming
home and being home are two very different things. So when he is asked to
assist with a corporate espionage investigation, Jack can’t say no, despite
knowing it will impact his already straining relationship. Except, of
course, he’s walking into a trap….
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Excerpt:
A deep, throaty rumble broke the quiet of the
morning and Gareth frowned. It didn’t sound like Jack’s beloved Gixxer, and
anyway, he had been told they were not riding to… wherever it was they were
going. The sound neared and settled outside his house, and when Gareth opened
the front door and walked to the end of the drive, he came face-to-face with
Jack Horwood—in a way he’d never seen or imagined him before.
He was used to Jack in skintight jeans and with a
screwdriver between his teeth, bent over desks, or crawling into spaces rodents
would have found restrictive. He was used to Jack in leather, astride his bike,
and Jack in sleeveless tops and jogging bottoms moving through kata with grace
and precision. He was even used to Jack the tease, meshing leather, music, and
suggestive moves until Gareth thought his skin would catch on fire. Jack
appealed to him whatever incarnation he chose, and this time around he had
surpassed himself.
Long, low-slung, and roofless, with sexy, graceful
curves, the deep green two-seater sparkled in the early morning sunlight. Jack
sat snugly ensconced in magnolia leather, a dark green fleece top and matching
ball cap complementing the color of the car. Fingerless driving gloves of soft
black leather and aviator sunglasses added to his rakish look. He grinned from
ear to ear, revving the engine, playing with the throaty sound.
“Come on, Flynn, the morning’s wasting.”
“What the fuck is that?”
“Transport. Get your gear and get in before I wake
the neighborhood,” Jack sniped at Gareth’s question. “This isn’t a sound you
can ignore for long.”
Gareth had to agree. The deep bass notes of the
car’s engine rippled down the street and back again. He quickly ducked inside
and reached for wallet, phone, and keys before he grabbed a jacket from the
rack and sunglasses and a ball cap from a drawer. Moments later he stood beside
the car’s passenger door and frowned at the lack of a visible door handle.
Surely Jack wasn’t expecting him to vault over the door?
Jack’s laugh, carefree and enticing, bubbled up
over the engine’s rumble, and without Gareth being able to see what he did, the
passenger door popped open, ready for Gareth to climb in.
The seat was a surprisingly long way down. And
once he sat, all he could see were acres of creamy hide and gleaming walnut
trim, with a tiny slice of glittering green bonnet stretching out in front of
him.
“Where did you get this monster?” he asked as he
pulled the seat belt across his chest and Jack peeled away from the curb with a
deep V-8 growl that was sure to rattle windowpanes along the quiet cul-de-sac.
“It’s mine. Well, half of it is.”
OTHER BOOKS IN THE POWER OF ZERO SERIES...
Book 1 - Job Hunt
You don’t
greet your new boss dressed like an underage rent boy. But when Jack
Horwood—ace hacker and ex-MI6 operative—opens the door to Gareth Flynn, he's
too busy to worry over details like that. And anyway, his potential new boss is
his former Commanding Officer – the same guy Jack has had a crush on since he
was seventeen. So he should understand, right?
When he
applied for the job in Nancarrow Mining's corporate security division, Jack had
hoped for peaceful days repelling cyber attacks. Maybe a bit of corporate
espionage on the side. His plans didn't include rescuing abused children,
hunting pimps, or dealing with his overly protective and hot-as-hell boss,
Gareth Flynn. Walking away is not an option. Jack never takes the easy way
out. More than that, meeting Gareth raises old ghosts that Jack needs to put to
rest. Rescuing kids. Taking risks. Saving the day. Jack can do all that – but
deciding what to do about his attraction to Gareth isn’t the sort of
cloak-and-dagger game Jack plays well. Yet Gareth, strong and smart and always
on hand when needed, might be Jack’s salvation.
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Book 2 - Ghosts
Jack Horwood doesn’t do families. Or Christmas. From the time his
mother sold him to her pimp to the moment he walked out on the man he loved,
Christmas has always been about change and painful choices. This year seems no
different. Helping Daniel and Nico recover from their imprisonment and hunting
down those responsible puts Jack in a frame of mind he doesn’t want to inflict
on anyone. Least of all Gareth and the tentative relationship they’ve started
to rebuild.
But Gareth, for whom Christmas is all about new beginnings, won’t
let Jack take the easy way out. He makes him face his ghosts instead. Even when
said ghosts invade their bedroom. When Daniel’s parents are found, Jack is
determined to settle the matter without involving Daniel at all. But fate
decrees otherwise, and it’s Gareth who helps him finally understand that the
strongest bonds are those forged together. Once he gets that, Jack can step up
and make a decision designed to lay his ghosts to rest—for good.
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