Better Day

Copyright © 2023 by Karen Deen All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in either electronic, paper hard copy, photocopying, recorded or any other form of reproduction without the written permission of the author. No part of this book either in part or whole may be reproduced into or stored in a retrieval system or distributed without the written permission of the author. This book is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locations or persons living or dead is purely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademark status and owners of products referred to in this fiction which have been used without permission. The publication and use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owners. Published by Karen Deen Edited by Contagious Edits Formatted by Lee Reyden Cover Design by The Book Cover Boutique Contents About the Author Contact Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Epilogue Also by Karen Deen Gorgeous Gyno Book Excerpt Acknowledgments About the Author Karen Deen has been a lover of romance novels and happily-ever- after stories for as long as she can remember. Reaching a point in her life where she wanted to explore her own dreams, Karen decided now was the time to finally write some of her own stories. For years, all of her characters have been forming story lines in her head, just waiting for the right time to bust free. In 2016, Karen put pen to paper for the first time, with Zach and Emily being the first characters fighting to have their story written. From that first word, she hasn’t been able to stop. Publishing Love’s Wall (her first novel in the Time to Love Series) in 2017 has ignited her passion to continue writing and bring more of her characters to life. Karen is married to her loving husband and high school sweetheart. Together, they live the crazy life of parents to three children. She is balancing her life between a career as an accountant by day and writer of romance novels by night. Living in the beautiful coastal town of Kiama, Australia, Karen loves to enjoy time with her family and friends in her beautiful surroundings. Contact For all the news on upcoming books, visit Karen at: www.karendeen.com.au [email protected] Facebook: Karen Deen Author Instagram: karendeen_author TikTok: karendeenauthor Dedication To the ones I love, who are my strength. BETTER DAY KAREN DEEN Chapter One CURRENT DAY GHOST After staring at the screens in my office for the last five days straight, my eyes are as dry as the desert. I feel like I haven't slept in days, but I’ve had no choice. There was no way I was leaving Bull and his girl without making sure they were safe. He’s my best friend, and being on the run with his girlfriend Asha, the stress levels were high. It was my job to help keep them alive and get them through the danger, until it's over and we can all breathe easy again. I needed to know every move being made by all the players, good or bad, before it even happened in this shitshow. It’s not very often I get caught off guard in this job, which is something I take great pride in. I could never live with myself if anything went wrong. Of all the jobs I’ve controlled in my life, this has been one of the most important. It ranks second to only one other job. That job has become my life! What started out as a job of inconvenience turned into the fight that I’ll never give up on. Not until the day I can finally say it’s over, and the reality is, that day may never come. That's something I accepted a long time ago, with no regrets. Even before the security system alerts me to movement outside the door, I know. No matter where I am, I can always sense her and how near she is. When you have been so close to someone for seven years and their safety is more important to you than your own life, you’re in tune with them to the point that it’s second nature. The door slides open quietly as Cassie softly steps in, checking if I'm on a call, not wanting to disturb me if I’m in the middle of any major operation. Even though I messaged her earlier to let her know Bull and his girlfriend were safe and it was all over, she knows sometimes things change at the drop of a hat and I’m on to the next case. As she gets closer, I pull off my headset and flick the override switch to send all communications through my phone for the rest of the night. My computer system is technical enough that it’s almost like a person. It has the power to think on its own, monitoring all the targets and locations I have programmed in at any current time. It knows if someone sneezes or goes to the toilet and determines if I need to know that piece of data or to log it in the database. It took me years to get to this point with my operations, but when a sense of fear for your family drives you, it’s worth it. The lengths you will go to keep them safe is above and beyond. “Hey there, handsome, I think you need a break. And more importantly, some sleep.” She slides her hands from my shoulders down around onto my chest, her sweet lips kissing the top of my head and then continuing down to my cheek. Her scent wafting