Shame ON You Read online

  “You going to say anything or just stare at me?” I asked.

  The running shoe was pink and white. From there, I saw navy-blue sweats. On the thigh, there was a gold decal, but I couldn’t make it out. What I could determine, though, was this person was female. She tapped her foot to the ground.

  “Have we met?” I put my hands on the side and was beginning to push myself upward when she pushed me back into the pool.

  The hands that touched my shoulders sent a jolt of electricity throughout my body. So much so that it threw off my breathing. Water went down the wrong pipe, and I threw my head back, gasping for air. I coughed for a good thirty seconds.

  I finally took in a clean breath.

  Something soared over my head.

  “Cow-a-bunga!”

  The woman, who was completely naked now, did a perfect cannonball into the water next to me. She popped out of the water, pulled me to her, and kissed me breathless. “That splash was epic,” I said when we finally broke apart.

  Nicole took my face in her hands, her eyes anchored into my soul. Just like she had so many years ago in college. “Not as epic as what we’re about to do.”

  I followed her lead—which was to her vehicle, where she had the heater on and piles of blankets in the back seat. We let go of our insecurities and inhibitions, falling deeply into the moment. I had no idea what the future held for either of us, but for now, “epic” had just been redefined.

  45

  Still riding our wave of love, I snuggled her warm, sleeping self against me and began to drift off into what would assuredly be some sweet dreams of my own.

  The muffled ringing of my cell phone broke through my sleepy thoughts. Damn. How the hell can I even hear that? I can’t hear a bird tweet, but I can hear my cell phone buzzing from my pants pocket? Ignore it, Oz. Ignore, ignore, ignore.

  But it just wasn’t in me—if someone needed me, starting with Mackenzie, I wanted to be available.

  Nicole stirred slightly, but her eyes remained closed and her breathing that of a steady slumber. I cursed what I was about to do—breaking the beauty of the moment. I eased myself away from her, ever so gently, and reached over the front seat, where our clothes were strewn everywhere.

  I found the buzzing phone and flipped it around to check the screen.

  It was Brook. I answered with a whispered, “What’s up?”

  She said, “Ozzie, I need you.”

  I listened for a few minutes, and Nicole rose up from her reclining position, holding one of the blankets up to her chest. “Brook, hang on just a minute,” I said.

  I looked at Nicole, her mass of tangled hair and glowing skin. Her eyes were wide, curious…but supportive. I knew for sure that she’d heard most of the conversation when she said, “This is your friend, Oz. Get to it.”

  Dear Reader,

  Do you have any finger nails left? Ultimately, Ozzie came to appreciate the gift of life…of cherishing every moment.

  Those moments don’t last long, though. In book five, Ozzie is quickly pulled into a political hornet’s nest. Can he actually work for a man who’d destroyed his life? Ozzie must channel his own powers of persuasion to find the killer. But what other forces are in play? This is bigger than Ozzie can fathom. With everything on the line, Ozzie follows his gut—but will it also take him to the brink of death?

  I hope you enjoy Ozzie’s latest thriller, ON Fire. You’ll be turning pages well into the night with the stunning twists and heart-stopping suspense. Here’s the link.

  http://smarturl.it/OzzieNovakONFire

  Best,

  John

  P.S. If you have time to leave a review for Shame ON You, that would be much appreciated.

  John W. Mefford Bibliography

  Redemption Thriller Series

  The Alex Troutt Thrillers

  AT Bay (Book 1)

  AT Large (Book 2)

  AT Once (Book 3)

  AT Dawn (Book 4)

  AT Dusk (Book 5)

  AT Last (Book 6)

  The Ivy Nash Thrillers

  IN Defiance (Book 7)

  IN Pursuit (Book 8)

  IN Doubt (Book 9)

  Break IN (Book 10)

  IN Control (Book 11)

  IN The End (Book 12)

  The Ozzie Novak Thrillers

  ON Edge (Book 13)

  Game ON (Book 14)

  ON The Rocks (Book 15)

  Shame ON You (Book 16)

  ON Fire (Book 17)

  ON The Run (Book 18)

  Other Thriller Series

  The Booker Series

  BOOKER – Streets of Mayhem (Volume 1)

  BOOKER – Tap That (Volume 2)

  BOILERMAKER – A Lt. Jack Daniels / Booker Mystery (Volume 2.5)

  BOOKER – Hate City (Volume 3)

  BOOKER – Blood Ring (Volume 4)

  BOOKER – No Más (Volume 5)

  BOOKER – Dead Heat (Volume 6)

  The Greed Series

  FATAL GREED (Greed Series #1)

  LETHAL GREED (Greed Series #2)

  WICKED GREED (Greed Series #3)

  GREED MANIFESTO (Greed Series #4)

  Shame ON You

  Copyright © 2017 by John W. Mefford

  All rights reserved.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book (not just the sample) and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Formatting by Bob Houston eBook Formatting

  Table of Contents

  ALSO BY JOHN W. MEFFORD

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Note from the author

  Next in The Redemption Thriller Series

  Excerpt from ON Fire

  ON Fire Now Available for Pre-Order

  Get International Bestseller AT Bay for FREE

  John W. Mefford Bibliography

  Copyright

 

 

 
<
center>