30 Seconds Before

By Chrys Fey

Blake Herro is a cop in the Cleveland Police Force. Ever since he was a child, he wanted to do right by the city he loved by cleaning up the streets and protecting its citizens. Red, a notorious mobster, has other plans. On a bitter December night, ten police officers are drawn into a trap and killed by Red’s followers. Blake wants to bring down the Mob to avenge his fallen brothers and to prevent other cops from being murdered. Except the only way he can do that is by infiltrating the Mob. Every minute he’s with these mobsters he’s in danger. Around every corner lies the threat of coming face to face with a gun. Will he make it out of the Mob alive, or will he be their next victim?

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Oct 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781509210664

Chrys Fey

Chrys Fey is the author of the Disaster Crimes Series as well as these releases from The Wild Rose Press: 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and Witch of Death. She is an administrator for the Insecure Writer's Support Group and heads their monthly newsletter. She is also an editor for Dancing Lemur Press.When Fey was six years old, she realized she wanted to be a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later rewrote at seventeen.Fey lives in Florida and is always on the lookout for hurricanes. She has four adopted cats who keep her entertained with their antics, and three nephews who keep her entertained with their antics. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and through her blog, Write with Fey. She loves to get to know her readers!

Book preview

Inc.

Blake continued to scan the rooftops,

windows, and corners for signs of the perps. His gaze lowered to the ground. Too many officers needed help. He strained his eyes to see if the nearest officer was still breathing, but the darkness and flashing lights obscured his vision.

Dread was ripe in his veins, twining his intestines into knots. The assailants who attacked the officers could be lurking nearby, watching, and putting him in their sights. Being out in the open with nothing but his Kevlar vest as protection was not where he wanted to be, but the officer he was helping would bleed out if he moved.

Blake studied the officer. His lips were an unnatural shade of blue. He was shivering from the frigid December night as well as blood loss.

Did you see them? Blake asked. Do you know who did this?

The officer’s lips moved.

Blake leaned forward, bringing his ear to the officer’s mouth. What was that?

The officer took a shuddering breath. Red.

Praise for Chrys Fey

"The story [of 30 SECONDS] flows smoothly and will keep readers on their toes while cheering for Dani and Blake to stay alive. The author deserves kudos for this brief, romantic, suspenseful tale."

~InD’tale Magazine

~*~

"HURRICANE CRIMES by Chrys Fey is a pure delight. It is a romance first and a suspense novella second, but both are combined in a perfect formula for a wonderful afternoon’s reading."

~Readers’ Favorite

30 Seconds Before

by

Chrys Fey

Prequel to 30 Seconds

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

30 Seconds Before

COPYRIGHT © 2016 by Chrys Fey

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Kim Mendoza

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Mainstream Thriller Edition, 2016

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-1066-4

Prequel to 30 Seconds

Published in the United States of America

Dedications

To all the readers who enjoyed 30 SECONDS

and were curious about what happened

when Blake was undercover in the Mob.

This is that story. Enjoy!

~*~

Thank you to Diane Burton and Gina Stoneheart

for beta reading this story.

~*~

And to Lori Graham

and everyone at The Wild Rose Press

for letting me share Blake’s and Dani’s stories.

Chapter One

In the pitch of the night, Officer Blake Herro patrolled the frozen streets of Cleveland, Ohio, with his partner, Max Middleton. He eased their unmarked police car to a halt at an intersection. The red traffic light illuminated the interior with an eerie glow. No other vehicles pulled up behind them or waited on the other lanes of the intersection. The road ahead gleamed with ice. Snow clung to the curb on either side of the road like frosting on a Christmas cookie.

While driving through the maze of streets in Cleveland, Blake felt unease over the quiet. Even the radio on the emergency console was mute; it hadn’t emitted a single peep in over an hour. As an officer, Blake knew there was no such thing as a calm, crimeless night. People called nine-one-one around the clock because of domestic disputes, car accidents, road rage, and break-ins. Nighttime didn’t lessen the calls for help but magnified them. The emptiness of Cleveland’s streets was uncharacteristic for such a city.

Blake’s hands began to perspire on the steering wheel. He could feel a pressure stirring the air like an approaching hurricane. Something was bound to happen soon.

The light changed, casting a green blush over the snow. As Blake drove past empty sidewalks—without a single person bundled in a winter coat—he fiddled with the police radio. He checked it was working, and the volume wasn’t turned down, but only a low hum of static came out of the speaker.

Relax, Herro, Max advised. You’re asking for something to happen with the way you’re acting.

I know something is going to happen, Blake replied. There’s a difference.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Max shake his head. The two of them had been partners for two years. They had been through many sticky situations—from car chases to shootouts. Blake wouldn’t want any other partner to have his back, but sometimes, Max was a little too chill.

Blake maneuvered the car toward a part of the city where you could always catch a drug deal going down or a hooker at a corner hoping for a quickie to put money in her pocket.

And you say you’re not looking for trouble, Max murmured.

Blake cut a glare to him, wanting to snap back when the radios on their shoulders erupted with shouting.

"Officers down on the intersection of Roosevelt and Babcock.