LITMIR.BIZ

      KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

       http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      To Jenell GiGi Clark

       who gave me the will and the passion to chase this story

      To Vanessa Davis Griggs

       who provided the opportunity and wisdom that gave me faith to believe this tale would be told

      And to Chandra “Jackie” Dixon

       for always being there since college

      Love and God’s best to you all

      Contents

      Acknowledgments

      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

      Acknowledgments

      As I peruse the page proofs for this novel on Thanksgiving Day, I am clinging to my faith that this book will be a blessing to someone. It’s been a few years since I’ve written an adult title. The countless obstacles in my way almost made me give up this particular journey. Truthfully, only the Lord sending His great people to get me going has allowed me to continue chasing the vision of seeing this story in print. Here is a special thank you to all those who allowed Our Father to use you, to help me.

      To my dad, Dr. Franklin Perry, Sr.: Thanks for teaching me how to have faith in my dreams. Life has allowed you to stand in high places, but it has also dealt you some hard blows. Your endurance through it all helps me stay my course.

      To my mother, Shirley Roundtree Perry: I thought we were cut from different cloths, but as I get older I see more and more that I’m much like you. You have such a thick skin. Thanks for making me borrow your armor when this writing journey got tough.

      To my special author friend Robin Jones Gunn, Beverly Jenkins, Vanessa Davis Griggs, Marjorie Kimbrough, Victoria Christopher Murray, Matthew Parker, Michele Andrea Bowen, and Lysa Terkurst: How blessed I am to know you and how better the world that you are using your gift. Thanks for uplifting me with your neverending support.

      To the team that made this book possible: My agent Janet Kobobel Grant, for guiding my career; my assistants, Nakia Austin, Ciara Roundtree, and Jessica Phillips for aiding me through. Kensington/Dafina past and present editors: Stacey Barney, for seeing the vision and taking a chance; Karen Thomas for saying yes; and Selena James, for helping me finish the course. Also special thanks to Carol Mackey of Black Expressions for getting behind this title from the beginning. The collaboration of your talents on this project made it reachable to more. To God be the glory.

      To my brother, Franklin Dennis Perry, Sr.’s family and friends: Your love has sustained me to keep on writing for God. Thanks for showing up at signings, telling folks about my little books, and sharing your stories with me for inspiration.

      To my daughters, Sydni Derek and Sheldyn Ashli: You girls keep me on my toes. I wouldn’t trade a minute of what we share. Thanks for being proud of your mom’s books. If I can make a wish on a star and have it come true, so can you. Work harder and God will see you through.

      To my hubby, Derrick C. Moore: Thanks for motivating me with your inspiring words you share with the world. We’re always chasing more for our family, but ain’t it good to see what the Lord has done with our union?

      To the reader: Wanting to be in a right relationship with Christ is an awesome thing. However, sometimes we let ourselves get in the way. This story was meant to inspire you to keep on striving for perfection in Christ. When you are okay with knowing you hold no power, He can strengthen your heart and help you become all you were created to be.

      And finally to my Lord: At times I went in circles trying to get this book out there. Even though I was turned around, you still helped me to head to my destiny of getting it to the world. I still have many more dreams inside of me that aren’t coming to fruition as quickly as I’d like, but I’ve learned my lesson. No losing hope. I’ll stay the course and wait on You. It is my desire that every person pursues You above all things.

      Chapter 1

      Venture

      I’m young, attractive, and intelligent, so why am I lying here with this guy when I don’t even love him? It’s an early November morning and C-SPAN is blasting from the other room. I’m annoyed. I was getting real tired of the casualness of our relationship. I tried to cover my naked body with the silk sheet thrown across the bed. I moved carefully so Mr. Three Times in One Night wouldn’t wake up and want to go another round.

      Troy Evans and I had been seeing each other intimately, with no strings attached, for seven months. Neither of us wanted any commitment other than our jobs. We were coworkers and a darn good team, both on the job and under the covers. He was hitting thirty-three and I was almost twenty-eight. However, I now wanted more than a fling. I didn’t know what it was I was chasing, but I did know Troy wasn’t the answer.

      As an FBI agent, I considered myself to be tough. Upholding justice was my life’s work. Ever since my alcoholic dad left my mother, little sister, and me when I was ten years old, I felt I had to protect the three of us. I was the oldest, so I had to take care of my family.

      My mother raised us in church, so the only father I knew was a Heavenly Father, and most times I wondered if He was even there. You know, when Mama couldn’t pay the rent, when we had no food, or when I wore shoes to school that were way too small because we had no money for new ones. Where was God when my mother couldn’t get folks in our small church to help her? Out of desperation she turned to a local drug dealer for a job. It destroyed her life, and not having her there for me sent me searching for love in all the wrong places. So here I am with Troy.

      Troy and I found our way into each other’s arms after work one day. It was early April, and I’d been on Troy’s team for eighteen months. It was my tenth assignment since coming out of training—I had been an agent for almost five years. We were working a money-laundering case. We’d tracked our suspect, Rudy Roberts, from our hometown and headquarters in D.C. to New York City. Troy, another agent, and I were in a surveillance van, following Roberts in a cab. Suddenly the yellow taxi pulled over and Roberts got out, smiled at our van, and started

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