{"id":11197,"date":"2024-12-31T01:05:53","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T06:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/?p=11197"},"modified":"2024-12-30T23:20:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T04:20:42","slug":"teaser-tuesday-ace-by-anne-kane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/?p=11197","title":{"rendered":"Teaser Tuesday: Ace by Anne Kane"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n
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Riptide MC (#1)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Motorcycle Club Romance<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Date Published: <\/span><\/b>1\/3\/25<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Publisher: <\/b>Changeling Press<\/span><\/p>\n

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Someone took a shot at my Emma \u2013 and signed his own death warrant. No
\none hurts my woman and lives.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Emma:<\/span><\/p>\n

After witnessing a cold-blooded killing, I run to the only person I can think of who can protect me. Ace is my high school fantasy turned big bad biker. Did I mention sizzling, sexy, and hot? He\u2019s everything I know I should stay away from, but his touch makes me melt and when his lips devour mine, I forget why I shouldn\u2019t let him near me. But he\u2019s more than just a one-night stand. He makes me feel safe. Loved. Wanted. All the things I\u2019ve never had — and that\u2019s addictive as hell. Ace makes it clear he wants to claim me, make me part of his biker family, and keep me by his side. And I want him. Forever.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ace:<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always had a thing for Emma, but back in high school, she dated my little brother. So I moved on. Joined the Navy SEALs. Re-upped a few times, but when that last mission went south, I knew it was time to bail. Feeling lost and adrift, I came home. And patched into the Riptide MC. Finally felt like I had a home and a family. I didn\u2019t think life could get any better. A knock on my door in the middle of the night changed everything. Emma fell into my arms, terrified and wounded. Some asshole shot my Emma. He may not know it yet, but he just signed his own death warrant.
\nOnce I\u2019ve taken care of her, I\u2019m going to convince Emma to stay
\nwith me. Forever.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Excerpt<\/span>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a92024 Anne Kane<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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Emma<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

It was midnight by the time I left work. My shitty excuse for a car had
\ncrapped out on me yesterday and transit didn\u2019t run this late, so I had to walk home. Short enough walk, but this wasn\u2019t the safest part of town for a woman alone to traverse after dark. I knew better than to take the shortcut through the park, especially at night. The bad guys came out when the sun went down, clinging to the shadows in the park as they went about their illegal activities. Drug deals, illicit arms sales and who knew what else. Still, that route would cut the length of my walk in half, and
\nafter slinging drinks at the bar all night, the temptation was too much to resist.<\/span><\/p>\n

My aching feet won the argument with my common sense, and I risked it.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was dark under the towering trees. The heavy branches blocked out the majority of the moonlight, making it feel eerily like the setting of a horror movie. More than half of the lights on the concrete path had been knocked out by kids throwing rocks. I stepped up my pace.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was halfway through the park when the sound of a gunshot rang out loud in the still night air. I jumped, automatically turning toward the sounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the clearing off to my left side stood a big guy holding a gun. He had it pointed at another guy who had a splash of red spreading from a hole in his chest. The shooter took two more shots, hitting the other guy right between the eyes. The victim crumpled to the ground as blood and brains splattered from the back of his head. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. A thin trickle of blood trailed from the corner of his lips and splashed the ground. In the light of the full moon, I could see the life fading from his eyes as he stared at the man holding the smoking gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

I slapped my hand over my mouth, desperately trying to stifle a scream. I wasn\u2019t successful. I stood rooted to the spot, my mind trying to process the horror of what I\u2019d just witnessed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The murderer swiveled and looked straight at me. He was a huge monster of a man, with tattoos covering every available inch of skin on his heavily muscled arms. His chest was wide, and no doubt just as muscled beneath a skintight shirt.<\/span><\/p>\n

His eyes were cold and hard as he brought the gun around and pointed the deadly weapon straight at me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Survival instinct kicked in. I turned and ran.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shots rang out behind me. One. Two<\/i>. The bullets went wide, the
\nshooter\u2019s aim hindered by the moving target.<\/span><\/p>\n

Me.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

I was the moving target. He was trying to kill me. The third shot scorched a fiery path across my side. When I brought my hand down to my ribs, I could feel sticky dampness oozing from a ragged hole in my jacket. A coppery smell filled the air. Blood.<\/span><\/p>\n

No time to stop and assess the damage. That wasn\u2019t a warning shot — it was meant to kill. Hopefully, that was a regulation gun, with a six-shot magazine like you see in the movies. Three shots to commit murder, and three fired at me. The asshole was going to have to reload before he could finish me off.<\/span><\/p>\n

Enough time for me to escape? I had to hope so. One hand pressed to the throbbing wound on my side, I plunged into the heavy shrubs lining the pathways. I\u2019d be an easier target if I stayed on the paths. Better to get a few scratches. At least it was too dark away from the path to follow the trail of blood I was undoubtedly leaving behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

The murderer didn\u2019t waste any time coming after me. His progress was marked by heavy thumps of his boot as he charged down the path. Hopefully he hadn\u2019t seen me dart into the bushes. \u201cYou can\u2019t escape, you little bitch,\u201d he snarled. \u201cYou\u2019re pissing me off, and
\nthat\u2019s going to make it worse when I catch up. Give up now and
\nI\u2019ll take it easy on you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I doubted that. Considering I\u2019d just watched him kill someone in cold blood, he wasn\u2019t likely to pat me on the head and send me on my way. I paused and crouched down beside a flowering shrub. My heart beat so loud it was a miracle he couldn\u2019t hear it. Looking around, I tried to figure out the shortest way out of the park.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDid you see which way she went?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but she didn\u2019t pass us, so she must be heading for the
\nroad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Shit! There were two of them. I hadn\u2019t seen a second man, but then again, I hadn\u2019t stuck around long enough to take in details.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMakes sense. We need to stop her.\u201d The sound of branches
\nsnapping filled the air.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese damn bushes are thick.\u201d Even muttering to himself, the
\nmurderer sounded closer. And cold-blooded. As if he were discussing an annoying insect, not a human being. \u201cYou recognize the bitch?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There was a long pause. \u201cShe did look familiar. Maybe works one of the bars in the brewery district? I think she might be a bartender. That shock of red hair should make her easy to find.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPity we didn\u2019t get a pic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That remark was met with a derisive snort. \u201cIf we had time to get a picture, we would have had time to end her and solve the
\nproblem.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think she can ID us?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt it. It\u2019s dark enough out, even with the damn moon
\nshining and she only saw us for a few seconds. I\u2019m not even sure she saw both of us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter. The boss ain\u2019t going to be happy with a
\nwitness running loose. We need to find her and wrap up the loose
\nends.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I had no illusions about how they intended to wrap up the loose end, meaning me. I needed to get out of here and call the cops.<\/span><\/p>\n

I took a deep breath and forced myself to move. I veered to my left, away from the two thugs. Weaving my way as quietly as I could between the ornamental shrubbery, I stayed low to the ground. I didn\u2019t dare stand up and make myself an easy target. That damn full moon was not helping me now. The thought of being outlined against the sky terrified me, and the
\nbullet wound on my side hurt like hell.<\/span><\/p>\n

The distance between me and the assassination squad widened. They were following the path, but headed in the other direction, presumably directly out of the park. Which meant I needed to circle around and exit by a different route.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thug number two raised his voice. \u201cCome on out and discuss this,
\ngirl. It\u2019s not what you think. We can explain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That would be interesting. How did he think he could explain shooting someone at point blank range? And the fact that he\u2019d taken a few potshots at me didn\u2019t inspire much trust on my part. Not to mention their talk of ending the problem, with me being said problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

I worked my way in the opposite direction, lengthening the distance between me and them. It felt like forever before I reached the edge of the park, not too far from where I\u2019d originally entered. Seems I\u2019d been walking in a circle.<\/span><\/p>\n

I took a careful look around to make sure it was safe to emerge before scurrying across the road and into the sheltering darkness of an alley. I reached into my pocket for my cell phone to call for help. Not that I had a whole pile of friends who could come to my rescue, but the cops needed to know there was a dead body in the park. Maybe, if they were quick enough, they could catch the murderous twosome before they escaped the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Crap! The phone wasn\u2019t in my pocket. I knew I\u2019d tucked it in
\nthere when I left work, which meant it had fallen out somewhere in the park.<\/span><\/p>\n

An icy river of fear trickled its way down my spine. If the murderers found it, they\u2019d know who I was. Sure, there was a password, but I wasn\u2019t na\u00efve enough to think it couldn\u2019t be hacked, and guys who committed murder wouldn\u2019t balk at illegally hacking a phone. Even if they didn\u2019t manage to bypass the password, my home screen picture showed me grinning like an idiot while standing in front of the bar where I worked, the name of the bar clearly visible above my head. I thought it was cute when I tagged it as the home screen picture. It might as well say, come and get me!<\/span><\/p>\n

Dumb. Dumb and Dumber.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now what? I couldn\u2019t very well go home and wait for the bad guys to figure out where to find me, and I definitely couldn\u2019t go back to the bar.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rustling of bushes in the distance made me jump. Sitting here stewing wasn\u2019t helping any. Sooner or later, those guys would double back to find me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where to go presented an issue. It wasn\u2019t like I had a loving family
\nwaiting to protect me. I only knew one person who might be able to help me. Then again, I\u2019d dated his little brother in high school. I may have burnt that bridge behind me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Justin Maclean and I had been close once upon a time. Friends close, not lovers close, although we had dated. It kept the other guys away. It was a tough neighborhood, and we\u2019d had each other\u2019s backs. I\u2019d had a crush on his older brother James though. Tall, dark and brooding. Just what every teenaged girl longs for.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turned out the younger Maclean and I had very different dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n

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About the Author<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Anne Kane lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley with a bouncy little rescue dog whose breed defies description, a cantankerous Himalayan cat, and too many fish to count. She spent many years trying to fit in and act normal, but finally gave up the effort. She started writing romance in 2008, and her fate was sealed when she won a publishing contract with Red Sage Publishing and just a month later Changeling Press accepted her first submission. Since then she has published more than thirty stories in a variety of sub-genres, all with a happily ever after.<\/span><\/p>\n

She has two handsome sons and six adorable grandchildren and enjoys spending time with them whenever she can. Her hobbies, when she\u2019s not playing with the characters in her head, include kayaking, hiking, swimming, playing guitar, singing and of course, reading.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Contact Links<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Website<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Blog<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Facebook<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

X<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Pinterest<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Goodreads<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok:
\n@changelingpress<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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Pre-Order Today<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

\"RABT<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Riptide MC (#1)   Motorcycle Club Romance Date Published: 1\/3\/25 Publisher: Changeling Press     Someone took a shot at my Emma – and signed his own death warrant. No one hurts my woman and lives.   Emma: After witnessing a cold-blooded killing, I run to the only person I can think of who can…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1090],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-teaser-tuesday"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11197"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11199,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11197\/revisions\/11199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}