Trusting the Enemy - Clean Romance Billionaire Ebook

She married a stranger. Now he's back from the dead—to protect her.

Taylor Marshall thought she'd escaped the biggest mistake of her life. Five years ago, she fell for a mysterious, captivating man and married him in a whirlwind Bermuda wedding. But her dreams of forever shattered when she discovered the devastating truth—he was a hitman. Before she could process the betrayal, he vanished, presumed dead after falling from a cliff.

Now, just as danger lurks around her and her young daughter, her father hires a bodyguard to keep them safe. But the man assigned to protect her is none other than Cory—the husband she thought she lost. The man she fears. The man she once loved.

Cory claims he's changed, that he's here to protect her, not deceive her. But Taylor can't ignore the secrets in his past… or the undeniable pull between them. With an unseen threat closing in, she must decide if she can trust the man who shattered her heart—or risk losing everything, including her life.

Can she survive the danger long enough to uncover the truth? Or will trusting Cory be the most dangerous mistake of all?

If not for the chills rushing over her skin and multiplying quickly, Laura Mitchell would think today’s stroll in the park was like any other day with her daughter. A soft, autumn wind blew through the trees and stirred a lock of hair against Laura’s cheek as if to soothe her.

It didn’t work as she had wanted.

Today was not the day to be calm. Instead, fear pumped through her like a disease, cold and impetuous. She peered over her shoulder and glanced at the cluster of trees near the edge of the park. A few people strolled hand-in-hand along the path lined with budding flowers and a small pond nearby where four ducks swam. Two bicyclists rode on the nearby trail. Five children were on the swings as their parents pushed them. But nobody looked her way. Still, Laura knew something wasn’t right. It was as if the unknown person’s gaze crawled over her.

She sucked in a quick breath. Remember, breathe. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Trepidation of the unknown raked through her like jagged fingernails.

Laura tightened her hands on the handle of the baby stroller and pushed it faster. Instead of walking to the swing set like she’d promised her daughter, she headed back toward the parking lot.

Four-year-old Megan tilted her head and looked at her with sad eyes. “Mommy? I wanna swing.”

“Not today.” Laura bit her tongue, wishing her tone hadn’t been so sharp. Instinct told her to get out of there as fast as she could.

Meggie’s big blue eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip protruded. “I wanna swing.”

Laura tried her best to smile, but her unsettled nerves made her lips quiver. “Meggie, let’s go home and make some cookies. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

Meggie shrugged. “O-tay, but I wanna swing.”

Laura glanced around the park, taking in the number of people standing by the fenced pond, the park benches, and the jungle gym. Since it was lunchtime, many walked toward the group of trees near the picnic areas. Out of all the people who surrounded her, there wasn’t one she detected watching her every move. Unfortunately, the unidentified terror rushing through her testified differently.

The closer to the parking lot she came, the more she wanted to break into a run. It was bad enough her poor daughter’s head bounced in rocky rhythm as they dashed over the grassy knoll. The heavy pounding of Laura’s heart knocked through her chest, overriding the steps her athletic shoes made as they slapped the ground. Her car wasn’t much farther.

Who’d be doing this to her? Could it be one of the many people threatening her billionaire father? She should be used to this since he’d been threatened so many times in his profession. Although, this time was different only because her father had acted differently.

She clenched her jaw. Two nights ago, her father informed her he’d been receiving threatening letters again. Threats weren’t unusual for billionaire Leland Mitchell, but he had mentioned hiring a bodyguard to protect her. She had argued. Her safety had been just fine during her twenty-six years.

So, why did she fear for her life now? Perhaps she should have accepted the bodyguard. Her little Meggie meant everything to her. Laura couldn’t allow anything to happen to her daughter.

Almost to the car...

Laura slowed as she neared her shiny silver Audi. She slowed her breathing, hoping to ease the panic lodged in her dry throat. When she stopped, her legs trembled, and her hands shook. Silently, she cursed the unknown fear doing this to her. As she reached to unlatch her daughter, she glanced over her shoulder. The cars that filled the parking lot held no immediate threat—none she could see, anyway.

Meggie giggled and clapped. “Fun, Mommy. Do it again.”

Laura didn’t want to laugh, but the sweet cherub face of her red-cheeked daughter had her smiling anyway. “I don’t think so, honey. Mommy’s all out of breath from running.”

“You were fast.” Meggie giggled. “Tickled my tummy.”

The burning in Laura’s throat matched the pain in her chest, and under her breath, she grumbled for feeling like she was out of shape. She wasn’t, but fear made her body weak. She bent and rested her hands on her knees, breathing in deep gushes of air. Perhaps she was overreacting. She glanced behind her at each car. As far as she could tell, nobody had followed.

She blamed her father for putting fear into her. He’d drained the enjoyment out of her childhood and teenage years by being so overprotective, and she didn’t want him doing it any longer. She’d told him time and time again she needed to control her own life, not live under the Mitchell Dynasty’s thumb.

Once she helped Meggie out of her stroller, her daughter ran to the back of the car to help put it in the trunk.

Laura shook her head. “No, honey, we’ll just put this in the back seat.”

Meggie shrugged and skipped to her side.

The keys rattled as Laura reached with a shaky hand to hit the unlock button. She took a deep breath. Steady. Aiming, she clicked the remote, and the doors unlocked. She yanked the door open and motioned to her daughter. “Hurry inside, honey.”

Suddenly, heavy footsteps thudded on the pavement behind her, getting closer by the second. She turned her head and glanced in the direction of the sound. A man barreled toward her wearing a gray jogging suit and a black knit cap that covered most of his forehead. His heavy shoulder slammed into Laura, and her body struck the car. Pain raced up her spine as breath whooshed from her. The keys fell from her hands.

He yanked Meggie and hooked her underneath his arm. Her daughter cried and reached with outstretched arms.

Fear gripped Laura’s throat and made it impossible to scream. She lunged for her daughter and grabbed at the man’s baggy sleeve. Using his elbow, he shoved it into her side, pushing her away. She stumbled, and the corner of the door struck her back with the force of a sledgehammer, making her collapse to the pavement. The man zigzagged between the vehicles and dashed away.

Regardless of the pain, she yelled, “Help me. He’s got my baby.”

Tears sprang to her eyes and blurred her vision. She scrambled to her feet and broke into a run. Her lungs ached, her throat burned. The faster she ran, the weaker her legs became, but she couldn’t stop. She also couldn’t stop screaming, although nobody seemed to care or help.

The man headed for the clump of trees while Meggie cried out for her. Held like a football in this monster’s arms, Meggie’s head bounced as she reached out her arms toward Laura. Big tears streaked down her daughter’s face.

As he ran toward the other side of the park, fear suffocated Laura. Soon he’d be out of sight.

She tripped, and her body flew through the air. When she landed, her heart crumbled. An intense sting ripped through her bruised knees and scratched hands. A loud sob tore from her throat, and tears streamed down her face. She couldn’t stop now. Limbs shaking, she struggled to her feet once more.

A man in a business suit ran by her, holding a gun, as he headed directly for the monster who’d taken Meggie. The man in the suit suddenly stopped. Standing still, legs apart, he pointed his gun.

A different kind of panic rushed through her. In an instant, she imagined the man shooting, but the bullet missing the kidnapper and striking Meggie, instead. “No! Don’t shoot…” Laura sprang toward him, adrenaline pumping through her weak limbs.