Showing results by author "Freya Barker" in All Categories

Growing up a military brat and spending eight years overseas with the Army Medical Corps, clinical social worker, Willa Smith, has had enough of rules and regulations. She is much happier working with veterans at the new, far more relaxed South Avenue Shelter, until one of its residents is implicated in a murder. Former military turned security operative, Dimas Mazur, has worked for PASS security since he returned stateside after a disabling injury. The job keeps him busy, but when a homeless veteran he knows runs into trouble with the law, he doesn’t hesitate to jump in.

Violence corroded her.... Obedience defiled her.... Fear kept her chained.... Freedom is hard to embrace when she's never learned to trust. Yet in the span of a second, she grabs a single opportunity and runs toward it. Straight into the sanctuary of a pub at the end of a wharf. She doesn't understand the concept of friendship. She's never felt the connection of a relationship. She's as innocent as the driven snow and yet tainted with corruption.

Ink and sawdust meets brisket and moxie. I’m a tattooed casualty. A charmer, a fraud, a skeptic, and a carpenter. My name is Tse. I’m cocky enough to believe my own lies, but too oblivious to see the truth is already out there. I’m a cautious perfectionist. A sister, a scrapper, a dreamer, and a workhorse. My name is Sophia.

I’m a grease-stained enigma. A watcher, a protector, an ex-con, and a mechanic. My name is Brick. I’m old enough to know good things come to those who wait, and hungry enough to go after what I want. I am a proud independent. A nurturer, a cook, a casualty, and a grandparent. My name is Lisa.

A life in the service of others is both penance and a blessing. She soothes her personal hell by pulling victims from theirs, helping them on their path to survival; never finding her own. When a crippling blow finally evaporates her last hope, the temptation to give up is strong. Still, she can't find it in her to turn her back on those who need her.

Once a man who lived by the letter of the law. Newt Tobias will do anything for his little girl. Even take early retirement, sell his city home, and move to cottage country, hoping that the simpler life will provide a better balance for his troubled teenage daughter. Yet, not long after they’ve settled, he finds himself toe-to-toe with a stubborn, fiery tempered woman with pretty brown eyes.