Fourth To Run. Carys Jones

       Even happy endings aren’t perfect.

      At long last, things are looking up for Aiden Connelly. A successful lawyer, now running his own firm, he has earned the respect of the townspeople of Avalon, and he has the woman he loves, Brandy Cotton, by his side.

      But Aiden can’t forget the mystery surrounding the death of his friend Justin ten years earlier. When a new tip-off leads him to Mexico and an infamous cartel, he unwittingly unleashes a sinister and dangerous force that follows him back to Avalon. Threatened and afraid, Aiden must form an unlikely alliance with the man who once tried to drive him out of town: Avalon’s sheriff, Buck Fern. These two men will have to turn their backs on the law they uphold to protect their town and those they love.

       Also by Carys Jones

      Prime Deception

      First to Fall (Avalon #1)

      Second to Cry (Avalon #2)

      Third to Die (Avalon #3)

       Fourth to Run

      Carys Jones

       Copyright

      HQ

      An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

      First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2015

      Copyright © Carys Jones 2015

      Carys Jones asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

      E-book Edition © June 2015 ISBN: 9781474034951

      Version date: 2018-06-27

       CARYS JONES

      Carys Jones loves nothing more than to write and create stories which ignite the reader’s imagination. Based in Shropshire, England, Carys lives with her husband, two guinea pigs and her adored canine companion, Rollo. When she’s not writing, Carys likes to indulge her inner geek by watching science fiction films or playing video games. She lists John Green, Jodi Picoult and Virginia Andrews as her favorite authors and draws inspiration for her own work from anything and everything. For Carys, there is no greater feeling than when you lose yourself in a great story and it is that feeling of ultimate escapism which she tries to bring to her books.

       Contents

       Cover

       Blurb

      Book List

       Title Page

      Copyright

       Author Bio

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

       Endpages

       About the Publisher

       Chapter One

      Once Upon a Dream

      Aiden rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the darkness of the bedroom. Turning onto his side, a small smile pulled on the edges of his mouth. He could smell her all around him; the small room carried the sweet scent of vanilla. Reaching forward he navigated the far side of the bed with his hand. He was expecting to find her sleeping soundly beside him. He’d pull her close; plant a soft kiss upon her forehead and then fall back asleep listening to the steady rhythm of her gentle breaths.

      But his hand found only empty sheets during his exploration of the bed. Startled, Aiden sat up and squinted against the lack of light. His heart was instantly racing. Clumsily he turned towards his own side of the bed and fumbled for the switch of a nearby lamp. After several attempts he found it and bright, florescent light burned across his face. Wincing, Aiden turned from the lamp and looked back at the bed. With the added light he could see with certainty that it was definitely empty, the sheets pulled back as someone had vacated the room while he slept.

      “Brandy?” He called out her name with a strange sense of uncertainty. Each time he awoke and found her sleeping beside him, he feared that he had somehow wandered into a waking dream and that she couldn’t possibly be there. The pillow was indented where her head had previously been but all that remained of her in the room was the vanilla fragrance lurking behind like a pleasant aftertaste.

      Aiden raked his hands through his hair and got out of bed. Wearing only his boxers, he headed downstairs, his heart pounding so ferociously in his chest that he could hear it echo in his ears.

      “Brandy?” He said her name again, louder and with more clarity, but as he descended the staircase he was met with only more darkness. As his bare feet connected with the wooden floor of the lounge, he noticed the chill in the air which was successfully banishing the oppressive heat of the previous day. Instinctively Aiden looked over to the patio doors which had been pulled open. A cool breeze fluttered in and danced around his bare legs, causing them to prickle with goose bumps.

      “Brandy?”

      Aiden approached the open doors and looked out into the garden. He immediately saw her, his eyes drawn to her like a moth to a flame. She was sitting cross-legged on the lawn, wearing her nightdress, with her head upturned towards the sky. The moon overhead bathed her in an ethereal silver light making her seem impossibly angelic.

      “Brandy, what are you doing out here?” Aiden shivered as he stepped outside and moved towards her. The sun which had previously burned down from above now felt like nothing more than a distant memory.

      “Oh, Aid.” Brandy turned her head to look at him, her eyes glistening