The emotions in this book just radiated off the pages. Gray was damaged fighting for his country and Seb’s enhanced condition may have him being shunned. That Gray is going to see Seb as more than a job is a given; same goes for Seb seeing Gray as more than a bodyguard. But it’s all of the other events in this book that make it so compelling.

There are bad guys, but Victoria Sue is pretty good at disguising who they really are (at least to me) until pretty late in the story. There are complex family situations involved (one I didn’t see coming) for both Gray and Seb. The suspense is almost non-stop and the action scenes very descriptive. The detail about certain medical things in the story point to a lot of research on the author’s part.

I just can’t say enough good things about this book. Don’t hesitate to pick this one up even if you haven’t read the others in the series.

Reviews for Victoria Sue

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Gray’s vision and head cleared of the last remaining effects, and he covered Seb’s hand with his other one. “You were great. If you ever get tired of singing, I bet Rawlings would have an opening for you.” He tried to make it into a joke, and the haphazard grin from Seb told him it was working.

“I don’t know how we’re not dead, as exposed as we were out there.”

Gray sighed, but Seb had to know. “They weren’t trying to kill you, and they couldn’t risk a shot at me because I was shielding you.”

Seb’s confused expression vanished. “They were going to kidnap me?”

“Yes, I think so. They didn’t shoot back. I don’t think they were expecting the gates to be reinforced. The speed at which they slammed into them should have had them coming off their hinges. As it was, it gave us the extra second or two we needed. The stun grenade was a last desperate measure as we shut the door.”

“But why would anyone want to take me?” Seb echoed in a small voice. “Sorry,” he added quickly. “Dumb question, I guess. Anyone with money is a potential target.”

Gray hoped that was all it was. A quick opportunistic grab for a rich kid would have made his life so much simpler, but he had a feeling it was more than that.

His phone lit up, and Seb read the text. “It says five minutes.”

“That was fast. They must have got the chopper up.”

Seb frowned, and Gray repeated it. “Helicopter.”

“They have a helicopter?” Seb asked, and Gray chuckled at the awe apparent in his voice. Then he shook his head, because it was nuts. The door could open any second, but he still couldn’t hear anything from the house and sat up higher, glancing around to see if there was anything he could use as a weapon. He looked at the wine rack in the corner. Throwing a few of those bottles wasn’t really going to help. “Is there another way out? Another room?”

Seb shook his head. “No, this is it. It’s just what my dad uses as a wine cellar.” He shivered, and Gray pulled him close until he was resting against his side, his brain skimming through as many scenarios as possible of what he could do if they got the door open.

“Why now?”

Gray looked at Seb, trying to rub his arms. The shivering wasn’t getting any better, and Gray was worried he was going into shock. None of his health issues and the fact the man barely had any fat on him to keep him warm were helping either.

“Why now what?” Gray clarified and hugged him tighter.

“I mean, why did they come to the house? Wouldn’t it have been easier to snatch me so many times in the past? The clinic, my piano lessons….” He trailed off.

“You can’t always put a rationale on crazy,” Gray pointed out, having no intention of voicing his own suspicions. Not at the moment.

Then they heard a noise, and Gray lurched to his feet, pushing Seb behind him as the door swung wide. He tensed and balled his fists.

“Jericho.” The shout came from the top of the stairs.

“Burning,” Gray shouted back. Then the cellar was flooded with light, and Gray squinted in relief as two men he recognized jogged down the stairs.

“We need to get you out. Cops are around five minutes away. The neighbors opposite called it in.” Gray let Seb go and got to his feet. Ringo looked him up and down. “Can you drive?”

“Yes,” Gray replied quickly and took the three guns Ringo and Mac—the other members of Rawlings’s crew—handed him. He quickly checked the Glock 26, the Ruger .38 Special, and the 9 mm M&P Shield. Satisfied with all three, he nodded at Ringo.

“They were gone when we got here,” Mac supplied. “Danny’s trying to pull CCTV, but it looks like they never attempted a breach.”

Ringo held out an envelope. “Sarge says get lost for a while as they try and piece things together.”

Gray took the envelope and grabbed Seb’s hand. Seb was looking from one to the other of them, and Gray doubted if he’d managed to read even fifty percent of the rapid-fire conversation when all of them were talking at once. Gray pulled on his arm to get Seb to look at him. “We have to go now. Stay with me, and I’ll answer all your questions once we’re in the car.”

Ringo headed for the cellar steps, and Gray pulled a shocked Seb behind him. “There’s a car at the coordinates. We’ll collect yours. Jay’s switching plates now, and everything you need is in there.”

“I’ll be in touch.” Gray didn’t so much as glance back but headed for his Mercedes, knowing the spare key would be in and the engine running.

“Gray, don’t I need—” Seb tried.

“No time,” Gray bit off. Whatever he needed, Seb would have to manage without. They needed to be gone before the cops arrived. He knew Ringo, Mac, and Jay would be as well. Rawlings would do the clearing up and smoothing feathers when everyone was safe. Gray pushed Seb to the car as sirens wailed in the distance. Seb seemed to catch his urgency and quickly got in. With a last glance toward Ringo, Gray slid behind the wheel. Another ten seconds and he had joined the traffic heading onto I-75.

He took a breath and turned up the heating in his car, knowing full well where he was heading. He didn’t even bother glancing at the envelope and the safe house address he knew would be in there. He made a quick decision that he hoped he wasn’t going to regret, but the stark fact was that Seb wasn’t some celebrity or some diplomat. He was far more important to Gray in all sorts of ways, and Gray would do anything to protect him, including the one thing he had been avoiding for four years. He risked a quick glance at Seb’s pale face. “We’re going to somewhere safe.”

“And then what?” Seb nearly wailed the question.

Gray heaved out a sigh. “We’re gonna eat some turkey.”

Enhanced Series

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