Protecting Tessa (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Brotherhood Alliance #6)

Chapter 3

3

T essa Donnelly thought she had it all—good friends, a wonderful job, and a caring, successful boyfriend.

The perfect life.

That illusion shattered when she discovered her boyfriend was something other than a loving, kind person.

And after he discovered she was recording him and her cover was blown.

And definitely after she realized the black SUV trailing behind her for miles was indeed following her and had been since she left Atlanta, Georgia.

How the hell did I end up in this mess?

Her heart raced in time with the windshield wipers, which were struggling to keep pace with the steady rain. Tessa clenched her fingers around the steering wheel, squeezing her knuckles white. She should have known that she couldn’t outwit her douchebag ex-boyfriend and his best pal. It wasn’t so long ago that she thought they were sophisticated and funny. Ha! What a fool she’d been.

She chanced another glimpse in the rearview mirror.

Damn . The SUV was still there, keeping pace. Not too close but never letting her get out of sight.

Tessa took a deep breath in, a slow breath out, then repeated. No luck. The nausea gurgling in her stomach threatened to erupt, but panic was not an option. Think! Damn it .

The narrow, rain-slick road buzzed with cars, their headlights blurring in the rain. Just enough traffic so the fool following her wouldn’t have realized she saw him. But for how long?

How did her life spiral into this nightmare?

She was the good girl—the one who followed the rules. Was this her reward for trying to be an upstanding citizen—to be hunted like prey?

Her mind flashed back to the night she thought she was building her dream, until that dream became a nightmare.

Her heart raced. Was it only two months ago? It felt like another lifetime.

Tessa’s fingers flew over her tablet, confirming the final details of her latest event. The hum of city traffic outside her office was just background noise. Inside, everything was organized, calm—well, not calm, but controlled.

Tonight’s charity gala for the city’s elite at Illusion—the hottest nightclub in town, owned by her boyfriend, Damien—was her biggest event yet. It was the perfect venue for her fledgling career as an event planner. All the top officials in town and their spouses would be there.

Tessa absentmindedly rubbed her ear, her finger tracing the diamond there. She’d gifted herself the earrings when she started her own business. Her mind was overwhelmed thinking about all the potential business she could garner—that is, if they liked what she put together.

Her assistant Amber held up two different mood boards. “Champagne tower or signature cocktails?” she asked.

“Hmmm. Cocktails,” Tessa replied. “Something everyone will remember.”

“Gotcha.” Amber nodded and walked back to her desk.

No doubt Amber would deliver something exceptional. She was a whiz at inventing unique drinks and menus for events.

Tessa leaned back in her chair, reflecting on how far she had come from working as a special events coordinator at a nonprofit agency to running her own events company.

Then she met the charismatic Damien, who encouraged her to branch out, offering his nightclub for her first official event.

How naive she had been with her head in the clouds and dollar signs in her eyes, thinking she was all that and a bag of chips. She’d been too eager, too trusting and never saw the evil lurking beneath.

A blaring car horn jolted her back to the present. Tessa’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest as she swerved to avoid a collision.

That life was gone. Now all she needed was a plan. Somewhere to hide. Maybe a cheap motel over the state line? Disappear for a while.

Tessa was clearly not involving her parents or friends—too dangerous.

Thankfully, Amber was out of harm’s way with her mother, who was recovering from surgery in another state. She was taking time off to help.

Her parents were on a cruise around the world. Hopefully, this situation would be resolved before their return.

But Tessa was alone—desperately alone—and needed help. Her biggest questions were where could she go and be safe? And who could she trust to help her?

She looked behind her again. Damn, Marty sped up. Tessa’s chest tightened as she moved into the right-hand lane, her heart pounding.

Because no way was she going to die on this lonely road tonight and especially not by any fault of her own.