#NewRelease--CAPTURE THE NIGHT by Cheryl Pierson--Giveaway

Hi everyone! I’m so excited to finally see CAPTURE THE NIGHT coming out—it’s one of those stories that I have had in the back of my mind for years—in fact, the rough draft for it was written a several years ago and only just now edited for “public consumption”!

Everything I write is set in Texas or Oklahoma, and this was no exception. I had to figure out a way to get the Prime Minister of Great Britain to our “neck of the woods” and what better way to do that than to treat him to a rodeo? But, of course, he didn’t count on the rogue faction of the Irish Republican Army seeking him out in America for their own brand of vengeance!

That’s where our hero, Johnny Logan, and the heroine, Alexa Bailey, come in. Johnny is a 20-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, assigned undercover as extra security for the Prime Minister, Brendan Roberts. When a bloodbath erupts throughout the luxury hotel, Johnny is wounded and manages to get away through a serving door beside the kitchen.

Alexa Bailey, who has come to Dallas to celebrate her one-year divorce anniversary, has made an illicit trip to the rooftop to see the lights of Dallas at night. She seeks sanctuary in the equipment building on the rooftop, and that’s where she and Johnny meet—he stumbles in bleeding, and she (of course!) comes to his aid.

It isn’t long before they discover they are not alone in their temporary haven on the roof…but is the other occupant friend or foe?

The outcome for everyone involved hinges on the mercurial temper of Kieran McShane, the leader of the small army of IRA terrorists, and what he decides to do—culminating with a final showdown between Johnny and McShane high on the rooftop where the story begins—winner take all. Badly wounded, Johnny’s chances are slim—but there is no choice for him—and time is running out.

I hope you will enjoy reading CAPTURE THE NIGHT! 

BLURB

Alexa Bailey intends to celebrate her one-year divorce milestone at the luxurious Riverwind Hotel in Dallas. Instead, she’s plunged into a deadly hostage situation at the hands of a rogue faction of the Irish Republican Army led by madman Kieran McShane. The roof of the hotel is her only escape from the seething danger below.

Johnny Logan is an undercover cop assigned to protect the visiting British Prime Minister. When McShane takes over the Riverwind, all hell breaks loose and Johnny is badly wounded before he manages to escape to the roof.

But the relative safety of the equipment building offers only temporary sanctuary for Johnny and Alexa, and they soon realize even in that remote haven, they’re not alone. With a small hostile army occupying the Riverwind, and the lives of the hostages hanging in the balance, the only thing they can do is try to keep McShane guessing until help comes.

Has love come too late for Alexa and Johnny? The clock is ticking, and time is running out.   In a wager that means life or death for them all, Johnny pits himself against McShane in a “winner-take-all” battle high above the city. Will he be able to save the handful of hostages who are depending on him to CAPTURE THE NIGHT?  

EXCERPT

    Johnny lay very still, looking up at the night sky. The stars tumbled across the velvet darkness like diamonds tossed from some lucky gambler’s hand. Two hours, he thought, by the position of those stars, since Billings had died. Been pushed.

    Alexa’s arm came across his chest in a gentle caress, and he turned his head to kiss the back of her fingers near his shoulder. She wasn’t awake, he knew, but he wanted to show her every moment of tenderness allowed them on this, their last night together.

    He tried to force his mind to relax. He knew he needed to sleep. But hell, by dawn he may be dead. It seemed a waste to sleep these last hours away.

    “Are you awake?” Alexa whispered.

     He smiled, realizing how much he’d wanted her awake with him, wondering if he’d made it happen by the strength of his thoughts. He didn’t try to turn his head to look at her. Right now, he wasn’t sure he could. He was spent.

    “Yeah. Just thinking, Lex. Just wishing we had a way of—capturing this night and holding onto it forever—until it came out right for us.”

    He felt her smile against his shirt. “Johnny, I—I want you to know something.” She came up on her elbow, looking down at him. “I’m not sorry for being here—wrong place, wrong time I guess, most people would say. But it was the right time for me—for us.” She seemed almost shy, looking away from his gaze. “I was married all those years to a man I thought I knew. Thought I loved. But I never knew what love meant until twenty-four hours ago.” She shook her head, an ironic smile curving her full lips. “Twenty-four years I searched for it, Johnny. And in twenty-four hours, I found exactly what I’d missed—with you.” Her brow furrowed and she glanced at him, then looked away again, as if the bright mirror of her love in his eyes was too much to bear.

“I love you.” She gave a self-deprecatory chuckle. “And I feel like I’m sixteen again.” She moistened her lips, glancing up at him. “I have nothing to lose at this point by being completely honest, do I?”

Johnny’s mouth slanted upward. “Alexa…you have nothing to lose with me—ever.”

    The wind teased her hair, blowing strands of it across her face. “I’ve never felt this way before. Earlier—when we—” she stopped, searching for the words she needed.

    “Honesty, Alexa…” Johnny murmured. “You can say anything to me.”

    She nodded. “I know.” She sighed. “It was…the first time I ever wanted anyone so much.”

    She lowered her head, a tear dropping to wet his shirt. “So, anyhow,” she sniffed, wiping her eyes as she tried to smile, “I wanted you to know that no matter what happens—I love you. I know, now, what that means. You showed me, Johnny.”

    His heart pounded against his chest. “Are you tryin’ to tell me something?”

    “We don’t know what’s going to happen. And, even if we do make it out of here alive, you may decide I’m not—what you want—”

    Johnny shook his head. “Stop it, Lex. I need you to be strong right now. For me, and with me. I know Richard hurt you, but you’ve got to battle through that.”

    He brought his hands up to cup her face, but she still wouldn’t look at him. “Know that I love you, whether it’s here or ten years from now. On this roof or—or in the grocery store’s frozen foods aisle.”

    She smiled.

    “I’ll never let you go, Alexa—never. So, you better get used to seeing my face every morning when you wake up.” He lifted her chin with a finger, leaning up to kiss her, ignoring the shot of fire that streaked through his side. She smiled, finally—a real smile—and it was all worth it. Then, she put her mouth to his, and he knew he’d do anything he had to do to keep her with him—once they got out of this.

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