The Truths We Hide

THE TRUTHS WE HIDE KATHY LOCKHEART CONTENTS The Truths We hide Lethal Justice Author’s note 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 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Epilogue GRAVE DECEPTION Author’s note 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 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Acknowledgments for Lethal Justice Acknowledgments for Grave Deception Let’s connect! Copyright © 2023 by Kathy Lockheart All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. Cover design © By Hang Le 978-1-955017-19-0 e-book 978-1-955017-20-6 Paperback 978-1-955017-21-3 Hardcover *Please note this e-book is exclusive to Amazon. If you are reading it from any other site, please be aware it is pirated and could result in Amazon removing the author’s books. Published by Rosewood Literary Press THE TRUTHS WE HIDE This collection includes two full-length, tension-filled romances in the Secrets and the City series: Lethal Justice and Grave Deception. Both are stand-alone romances with no cliffhangers. LETHAL JUSTICE LETHAL JUSTICE BLURB A hostage isn’t supposed to develop feelings for her captor—a man who’s the antithesis of everything I stand for. And my captor isn’t supposed to see me in a way no one else ever has, let alone want to protect me from the other men who plan to end my life… Surrendering to our unexpected feelings could spell death for us both. Especially when Easton is given a direct order: Kill me, or they’ll kill him and his brother. Soon, our lives, along with the lives of everyone we love, are in danger. And time is running out… For my mom, my role model in unconditional love. AUTHOR’S NOTE Lethal Justice is a tension-filled romance that contains violence and other content that may be triggering for some readers. I prefer you go into a story without spoilers, but if you would like a list of detailed triggers, you can find it posted on my website at KathyLockheart dot com. 1 No one ever expects to be held captive by three men who intend to murder them. No. They go about their lives, oblivious to the imminent danger around the corner—even when it’s only a few hours away. Just like I was doing right now while Dad watched the evening news, the anchor’s voice piercing through our townhouse. “Another brazen robbery last night, this one in the River North neighborhood. Where police say two armed men broke into a home and stole over $20,000 worth of valuables.” Twenty grand. Jeez, Louise. I wish I had that kind of money. I glared at my latest utilities bill, which had been haunting my countertop for the past five days, as if a contagious plague would sicken me the moment I opened it. Which was stupid. I’d turned off the air conditioner despite the sweltering summer heat, so I bet it was under a hundred. Maybe even below ninety. It had to be. Anything beyond that, I was screwed, even with my upcoming paycheck. I tore a tiny corner open with my nail and then slowly ripped a line down the envelope, taking a deep breath before I unfolded the paper and looked at the amount owed. $154.12. Ugh. Maybe by some miracle, another bill hadn’t cleared yet, and I could do that magic juggling thing, where this bill got paid while another was in limboland. I opened the banking app on my phone and checked my balance. Nope. A whopping $25.57 sat in my checking account, pre-grocery shopping. Pre. Deep breath. You made a fantastic case to Michael, and he was supportive of your ask. For two years, the company I worked for had not given raises to anyone, citing pressures from the economy. While I didn’t think I was above others, I’d watched a TED Talk that inspired me to put a business case together and be brave enough to ask for one. To advocate for myself. As a marketing analyst, my work this past year had brought in $1,500,000 in advertising fees to our company, which was $350,000 over my target. I’d worked my butt off to accomplish that, and I was mega proud of it. And yet, when it came time for my performance review? I got a pat on the back instead of a raise. Again. This time, I decided to stand up and ask for what I felt was fair—something I did professionally with a lot of financials to back up my request. And the great news? My boss, Michael, was taking it to HR yesterday, who had the final say. He probably hadn’t emailed yet because