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Prologue

Nine Years Ago…

Xander exited the elevator on the third floor after a painfully long ride in what could very easily be referred to as a death trap Seriously, getting to the third floor shouldn’t have taken that long What the hell?

As he stepped out into the dilanced around at the well-kept, yet drastically outdated furnishings of a small, two room office Not only was it drab and dark, it had a musty smell, like there was a water leak somewhere that had never been fixed

Why in the hell did anyone work in a place like this? He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but this certainly wasn’t it

Less than impressed, he tried to pretend not to notice He was there to meet one of his closest friends, Shane Gibson, who had been raving about a real estate agent as rapidly n consultation Thank God

Based on the office that this up-and-co her success, but he hadn’t ment

Xander had no idea how Shane had come to meet Mercedes Bryant, the Realtor who clearly needed a new office, but he didn’t necessarily need to know either He was in the market for property, his friend believed she could assist hi to Shane, Mercedes specialized in coressive and e, Xander was inclined to believe that wet behind the ears could probably be added to the list of adjectives used to describe her

Following the sound of voices co from the only other room in the place, Xander stopped just outside of the open door and waited for thereeted him pleasantly when he looked over from his seat across from an incredibly beautiful woman “Xander Boone, I’d like you to e smirk on the reeted the well-dressed woman who rose from her chair and walked around her desk as he entered the office A few steps into the s his hand out for her to shake “Shane,” he tacked on with a nod of his head toward his friend

No, Xander wasn’t at all impressed with her choice of offices, but he certainly approved of Mercedes’s appearance Dressed in a pair of black slacks, a crisp white shirt with the top two buttons left undone, her shiny black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail while sems twinkled in her ears, the woman exuded professionalism Not to mention sex appeal

So maybe she looked like she worked for the FBI with the fact that she lacked any color in her wardrobe, but he had to admit that the contrast between that white shirt and her black hair was striking And her eyes An intense gray that see a trail of heat in their wake