Series: Hot Mess Trilogy #2
Publication date: August 27th, 2021
Synopsis:
Hold your breath because it's going to get a lot more outrageous as things keep hotting up with the crazy, sexy, Miller/O'Conner families.
Just when you thought things couldn't get worse... they do.
When a group of dysfunctional people all work towards one goal - their own one goal, irrespective of what's happening with anyone else, you know there's going to be trouble, and trouble doesn't come any bigger than in this Hot Mess.
With people finding videos of private encounters, ex-con ex's meeting back up, drug deals going wrong, secrets and lies, blackmail, bribery, misunderstandings, jealousy... and so much more. It's a whirlwind of emotions that ends with the realization of how fast things can change, how fragile life really is, and how love can be lost in the blink of a tearful eye.
There are lessons we can all learn, from those who never seem to learn for themselves.
Hold tight for another ride of your life.
Excerpt
Suzy brought the coffee cup up to her lips but froze and held it there as Jessie finished telling her about her morning. Her friend had been upset when she called her and suggested they meet, and as she talked now, it was easy for Suzy to understand why.
"After leaving Jack and Hannah alone, I went to look for Cal. I can't stop thinking about little Ollie carrying around that phone with those compromising videos on it. Lord only knows who all he's shown them to. And now suddenly Hannah seems to be everywhere... anyways," she said, with a sigh. "I couldn't find him. So, I sent him a text and told him I was at the house and would like to see him, fixed myself a cup of coffee, and then I went into the library to wait, either for Jack to finish whatever business he had with Hannah or for Cal to get back to me, or both. When I walked into the library, Mack was there."
"What was he doing?"
"I'm not sure. He was just standing there behind the desk when I walked in. He seemed a little anxious, which was weird, and then he acted like he had a rush out. He stopped, kissed me on the cheek, and then suddenly he was looking at me like I'd done something wrong. That's when it first occurred to me that maybe he knew about the videos."
"But you didn't ask him?"
"No, it was just a feeling. I didn't have any evidence... yet."
"But you checked the safe then and found them gone?"
"Not right then. I waited in the library until I saw Hannah leave and I went back to Jack. He looked like he'd been crying, so I almost forgot why I was there. I asked if he was okay and he started talking about a lifetime of regrets... mostly rambling. I'm getting more worried about him by the day." Suzy nodded. She's also noticed that Jack seemed to be decompensating. At first, they'd all written his strange behavior off to the grief of losing Delia, but he seemed to be getting worse instead of better. "Anyways, I didn't understand much of what he was trying to say. He talked about how much time he'd 'wasted' in that MC back East and then said that he could have spent that time with his 'kids' instead."
"Kids? Plural?" Suzy asked.
"Yeah, he said kids. I asked him about that, but he never clarified it. As far as Delia knew, he didn't have any kids. You and I know Mack is his now, but who knows? Jack was gone to the East Coast for a long time... he could have more somewhere out there."
"So, did you ever get back around to the videos?"
"Yeah. After he rambled on for a while, he asked me to leave so he could lie down. That's when I reminded him that he'd never told me where the videos were. Guess what his response to that was?" Suzy shrugged. She knew Jessie didn't really expect her to guess, so she waited. Jessie took a sip of her coffee and closed her eyes for a second like she was trying to calm herself and then she said, "He said, 'Didn't Mack tell you? I asked him to tell you they were in the safe behind Delia's picture in the library.'"
"Uh-oh," Suzy said.
'Yeah, uh-oh is putting it mildly. I was shaking, but I simply told Jack that Mack hadn't told me, so he said there were about a dozen memory cards in a plastic bag in the safe. He gave me the combination but, when I looked, they weren't there."
"Damn. So, you think Mack took them?"
"Yeah, I do. I'm not sure if he knows what he has or not. I hope to God not." She took another deep breath and said, "I went back upstairs again, and asked Jack if someone would need his camera to access the memory cards. He said yes first and then as I was leaving, he added, 'Unless they have the same type of camera or one of those special programs.' I asked him what kind of 'special program' and all he would say was that someone who knew electronics could use another camera and a USB cable to upload them to a laptop." She rubbed her temples then and said, "My head is throbbing."
"I'm sorry," Suzy said, unsure of how to help her friend. She knew Jessie wasn't one of those people who overshared. She liked her private life to stay private, and the idea of a video of her having sex floating around had to be killing her. "Have you talked to Mack?"
Jessie shook her head. "I texted him and left a voicemail for him before I called you, but he hasn't gotten back to me. I couldn't just sit there at the mansion and wait for him; I was going crazy."
"I'm glad you called me," Suzy said. "When you left the message for Mack did you tell him what you wanted to talk to him about?"
"No, but if he took those memory cards, I'm sure he knows. I want that memory card," she said, "and I also want Mack to explain what made him think he had a right to take them."
"Jack said there were a dozen of them?" Suzy asked. Jessie nodded and she said, "Maybe he had some of Mack too then?"
Jessie smiled. "You've been hanging around with his best friend too long," she told her friend with a wink. "You're defending him."
"Oh no, trust me, my loyalties are still to you first. I'm just trying to figure out why Mack would have taken them otherwise."
Jessie nodded. "You and me both. But I think we both know that when it comes to me, Mack has a hard time minding his own business. Maybe Evan should talk to him about boundaries, the way he did to you about Liam." Suzy laughed and that was when Jessie asked. "Speaking of Evan, how are the two of you doing?"
Suzy smiled. Just the mention of Evan made her feel warm inside. She felt like she'd finally met the man she'd been looking for most of her lifetime. She'd even given up looking before Evan came into her life, letting herself believe he didn't exist. She'd met Evan almost a year earlier, and she'd seen him at many of Mack's club events during that time and sometimes at parties at the mansion. But Evan was usually with a woman at those events, and Suzy had worked hard building the wall around herself. The night of the birthday parties she'd drunk just enough to let her guard down, and Evan saw the opening and took it. Since that night, she'd been happier than she'd been in years and Evan told her he felt the same. Their only problem so far had been Liam. "We're good. He acknowledged I do need to make the boundaries clearer. You know I have a history of letting Liam push them, but I've never had anyone else's feelings to consider in the past while I was doing that. I need to think about how I might feel if the shoe was on the other foot."
Jessie nodded. "Sounds like a fair compromise. I have to admit that I would feel better if someone were keeping an eye on what Liam is up to."
Suzy chuckled and took a drink of her coffee, trying to ignore the sudden surge of guilt she felt. She'd told Evan she was going to distance herself from Liam, but she hadn't been able to stop worrying that he was out driving a busload of senior citizens around town. She had called him that morning, telling herself it was only about making sure the elderly people Liam thought he was "taking care of" were safe. He promised her that he was spending the day with Shay, who just recently got out of rehab, and he wasn't going anywhere near the old folks' home. Now, if only she could believe him.
About the Author:
Jessie Cooke writes hot romance novels about tough guys, bad boys, bikers, fighters and lovers and the women of strong character who tame them.
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