Excerpt from Code Name: Rook

​It’s been more than twenty-four hours now since we tied the knot. Still, I don’t have a single fucking regret about it. I thought that might come at some point, but, so far, I’m glad we did it. Someone could argue with me until they were blue in the face, but I’ll never believe for a single moment that we weren’t already destined to arrive in the state of holy matrimony at some point.

​I’ve been at Jameson since seven-thirty. Jaime thinks I left early to head to the airport for the “car auction” in Georgia. Now that lie I do regret, same as the others, but there’s somewhat of a balm over it in that I had intended to tell her the truth this weekend. It’s just with me going away for several days on a mission, well, I could not drop that bomb on her and leave.

It will, however, be the first thing I do when I return at the end of the week. Or, at least, that’s hopefully when I’ll return. If the mission goes longer, I don’t know what I’ll do.

After a long workout, a quick shower, and a quicker breakfast, which was downing a protein shake, I head down to the second floor. We’ll have a logistical meeting in a few hours with the team that will be joining me in Colombia. It will be Malik, Jackson, and one of the other agents who is fairly new here, Ladd McDermott. We’ll also have the backing of the Colombian army as well.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spy Anna coming out of her office.

“Anna, Anna, Anna,” I call out to get her attention, weaving my way through desks over to her.

“Hey,” she exclaims, a bright smile on her face that says she’s happy to see me.

I look around the second floor, noting most agents are at their desks with heads bowed over laptops, then grab Anna by the elbow to lead her back into her office.

“Hey,” she grumbles, trying to pull away.

I hold her firmly. “Sorry. But I really need to talk. It’s an emergency.”

Once in her office, I release her arm and pull the door shut behind us. Because I’m vibrating a bit with nervous energy, I start pacing back and forth. Her office is so small that I only get two steps before I have to turn around again.

“What’s wrong?” Anna demands.

I jerk from her words, my head snapping her way. She’s not going to like what I’m about to tell her. My gaze moves to the door. Maybe I should just leave.

“Cage,” she snaps, and I can tell she’s lost her patience. “Tell me what it is, and I’ll help you fix it.”

The expression on her face is pinched and worried. I bet she thinks I robbed a bank or something. Better disabuse her of that. “I got married.”

“You what?” she exclaims.

“I got married,” I repeat, a little softer as I drop into a chair.

“Got married,” she says slowly as if she doesn’t quite believe she’s heard me straight. “To whom?”

I roll my eyes. “To Jaime.”

Anna crosses her arms, one eyebrow cocked. “You told her the truth about what you do, right?”

Christ, every time I’m reminded of my lies, it’s like a knife twisting in my chest. I shake my head in response.

“What in the hell were you thinking?” she screeches. 

I jump in my seat, hoping never to hear that sound from her again.

She lowers her voice to almost a hushed whisper, bending to get in my face. “You cannot marry a woman unless you are in love with her, and she knows the absolute truth about what you do for a living.”

My grin is lopsided, half well-intentioned, half wry. “Well… I got half right.”
​

 MORE ABOUT CODE NAME: ROOK 

Being a highly skilled operative for a company like Jameson Force Security is exhilarating and important work…until it comes time to date. I like to keep my profession under wraps for a number of reasons. Some of what we do is top secret, most of what we do is dangerous, and more than one woman has tried to latch onto me because she was more enamored with what I do than who Cage Murdock really is. And since I’m more of a ‘here for the night’ than a ‘here for forever’ kind of guy, what’s the harm in a little white lie about my job?
 
My harmless deceit has never failed me. Until now. Because I met the most amazing woman and did the unthinkable. I married her. And now my beautiful, unsuspecting, probably-going-to-leave-my-sorry-behind-when-she-finds-out-the-truth wife doesn’t know that I’m not a used car salesman like I told her when we met.
 
As it typically does with lies, the truth is about to come out in a big way when Jaime unwittingly gets herself mixed up with some unsavory characters and I, along with the team at Jameson, have to intervene. Now I need to save my girl and hope I can save my marriage too. Let’s just say I have some serious explaining to do.
​

MEET AUTHOR SAWYER BENNETT

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.
 
A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.

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There are books that tug at your heart, there are books that lift you up, there are books that make you feel all the emotions; The Hard Truth About Sunshine by Sawyer Bennett is this book and more. Sawyer has delivered a beautiful, touching, emotional and realistic portrayal of how tragic events can unite us and finding our strength comes from unlikely places.  Meet the exceptional characters in a sneak peek of this emotional uplifting tale of how simply beautiful real life can be.   

The neighborhood is perfect. Square lots that back up to one another, little to no fencing, and pretty much set in a grid pattern that will make navigation easy. I left my Suburban parked five blocks away, and we’ll stay a good two blocks away from it in our pursuits tonight. The sidewalks are lined with large trees that help to filter out the streetlights, and the only real problem with exposure is from porch lights. Luckily for us, we won’t be getting that close to the houses.
“Okay, there’s an etiquette to egging,” I tell the group as we squat down behind a bush at the edge of our first target’s yard. I can’t squat down as far as the others because of my prosthesis, but I can get low enough that I’m part of the tight circle we’ve formed. Jillian on my left, Barb to my right, and Connor opposite of me. He looks at me with earnest dedication, as if I’m teaching him how to perform open-heart surgery.
“First,” I continue. “No houses that are completely dark. There’s no risk in that, which means there’s no fun in that. Try to aim for windows or storm doors, particularly ones where the occupants might be standing near. It helps to scare the shit out of them.”
Connor nods in understanding, committing this rule to memory. Barb rolls her eyes and Jillian tries to look censuring, but I can see the amusement in the tilt of her lips.
“Second… we all throw together on my count. Once your egg makes contact with the structure, we run to our next designated point.”
“Why do you get to count?” Jillian asks.
“Be quiet,” I tell her with a stern look. “You’re not participating so you have no say.”
She giggles in response and Christ… I like that sound. My scar pinches, which means I’m smiling, and I give into it.
Turning back to Connor, I make sure he understands the most important rule. “Finally, don’t panic if you’re pursued. Ditch the rest of the eggs if you can without being seen. If you’re caught, deny everything.”
Connor swallows hard but nods again, his eyes starting to sparkle with excitement.
“Are we ready?” I ask the group.
“Yes,” Connor and Barb say together, palming the egg they’d pulled from their respective cartons. We’re all traveling light right now… nothing but a carton in one hand and a single egg in the other. Jillian’s holding onto the Suburban’s keys, but I noted she put on tennis shoes tonight in case we have to run. I guess she’s running with us, even though she’s not participating.
“Okay, our first target is this house,” I say as I nod over my left shoulder to the small brick house on the other side of the bush. I do a quick scan of the street, see no one around and no cars coming, and then complete my instructions. “There’s a woman at the window washing dishes. Try to aim there.”
Connor, Barb, and I all stand from our squatting positions and cock our arms back. Jillian gives a long-suffering sigh, but stands as well.
“And on three… two… one,” I murmur to my squad. “Go!”
The three of us throw the eggs, mine and Connor’s hitting the kitchen window. Barb’s hit just to the right of it on the brick, but the splatting egg was so startling the woman washing dishes shrieks in fear and ducks down low out of sight, I’m sure thinking she was being shot at or something.
Snickering, I turn and take off running down the darkened sidewalk. I’d worn my running blade tonight, which is a special carbon-fiber reinforced polymer prosthetic that helps with spring and balance. I’d received this through the Veteran’s Administration along with my C-leg prosthetic, but I hardly ever use it. Haven’t been that into running since my injury.
But tonight, as I find I’m able to move fairly quickly for a dude with only one leg, I feel a surge of adrenaline and perhaps personal challenge rise within me. Why am I not running again? I was good at it when I was in the Marine Corps, sometimes running five to eight miles, several times a week.
Connor, Barb, and Jillian all run behind me, any of the three probably able to overtake me with nominal effort, but they don’t. Instead, they follow me down one block, and south down another two where I scout out another house. By the time the woman washing dishes figures out what hit her house, she won’t be able to find us.

More About The Hard Truth Sunshine

New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett has written her most gripping and poignant tale yet. Provocatively heart-breaking, audaciously irreverent and romantically fulfilling, The Hard Truth About Sunshine exposes just how very thin the line is between a full life and an empty existence.

Despite having narrowly escaped death's clutches, Christopher Barlow is grateful for nothing. His capacity to love has been crushed. He hates everyone and everything, completely unable to see past the gray stain of misery that coats his perception of the world. It's only after he involuntarily joins a band of depressed misfits who are struggling to overcome their own problems, does Christopher start to re-evaluate his lot in life.

What could they possibly learn from one another? How could they possibly help each other to heal? And the question that Christopher asks himself over and over again... can he learn to love again? 

He's about to find out as he embarks upon a cross country trip with a beautiful woman who is going blind, a boy with terminal cancer, and an abuse victim who can't decide whether she wants to live or die. 

Four people with nothing in common but their destination. They will encounter adventure, thrills, loss and love. And within their travels they will learn the greatest lesson of all. 

The hard truth about sunshine...

Warning: This book deals with some tough issues including suicide and sexual abuse.

Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released more than 30 books and has been featured on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists on multiple occasions. 

A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone. 

Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active toddler, as well as full-time servant to two adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or a combination of the two.
 
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At the powerhouse law firm of Knight & Payne, winning comes first and ethics a distant second. Leary Michaels uses her female charms to daze opponents, and it’s always worked well—until now. On her most personal case yet, she finds herself going up against a defense attorney just as skilled, shameless, and seductive as she is.
​
Reeve Holloway has never met a woman as sure of her own sexuality, or as ruthless in wielding it, as Leary is. But he won’t be toyed with. What Leary starts, he’ll finish—in the courtroom, the bedroom, or any-damn-place he wants. The sex is uninhibited, electrifying, and absolutely against the rules. Reeve’s job is to ruin Leary’s case…even if it destroys her in the process and costs him the woman he’s come to love.