SECRETS FROM THE PAST—Release Day Monday, November 27, 2023

SECRETS FROM THE PAST, a sensual mystery/romantic suspense, is scheduled for release by The Wild Rose Press on Monday, November 27, 2023.

Veiled threats endanger secrets from Cameron Pierce's past and soon escalate to attempts on his life. Shelby Haywood has her own secrets that could destroy her future with Cameron…or get them both killed. Is their shared heated desire increasing the danger surrounding them?

Cameron Pierce is a self-made billionaire, a man known world-wide for his business acumen, power, and extreme wealth. A man also known for his patronage of the arts and many charitable deeds. And a man with a past clouded in mystery and dark rumors.

Four years ago, Shelby Haywood's husband of ten years died in a fall down a flight of stairs. Even though his death was officially ruled an accident, she's been subjected to the harassment and accusations of her former in-laws who continually accuse her of being somehow responsible for their son's death. The Haywoods are a powerful and very wealthy family whose roots go back several generations in San Francisco. They've never made a secret of the fact that they believe their son married far below his status.

Shelby finally makes the decision to leave her lifetime home town of San Francisco. She signs a contract for a one year project with Pierce Industries in Seattle where she'll be working directly with the dynamic Cameron Pierce.

G-Excerpt #2) 

Cameron Pierce read the anonymous letter again, being very careful to handle only the corners of the paper so he wouldn’t disturb any existing fingerprint evidence. I know everything, and I’m going to make you pay.

The fourth threat he had received in as many weeks, this one just as ambiguous as the previous three letters had been. The anonymous threat didn’t contain anything specific. Did it refer to something he, personally, had been accused of doing? Or a problem in one of his companies? And the reference to making him pay…an attempt to extort money or a threat on his life?

He dropped the letter and its envelope into a plastic sleeve, sealed it, and handed it to Tom Jenkins, head of security for Pierce Industries. “Put this one with the others.”

“The last three letters arrived on consecutive Mondays. This is the Friday after the fourth consecutive Monday. When did you receive it?”

Cam glanced around his office, not happy with the sensation of being grilled by his own employee but knowing he had purposely withheld the information. “It came last Monday.”

He directed a stern look at his security chief, putting a stop to what he knew Tom wanted to say. Tom’s expression said he got Cam’s unspoken message.

“Okay, Cam. Where was this one mailed?”

“It has an Edmonds postmark. That makes four letters postmarked from four different locations in the greater Seattle metropolitan area in the last four weeks.”

“I still think they should be turned over to the police. I can call Lt. Crandall and put it on an unofficial personal basis.”

“No…there’s no reason to bother George with this. Men in my position are always receiving meaningless threats. The police have enough real crime to worry about without concerning themselves with crank notes. Besides, the letters are so vague that it’s impossible to determine what they mean, and the writer has never made any specific demands.”

“The threats are coming through the mail. That makes it a federal offense, which would put it in the lap of the FBI. They’re also being mailed from four different law enforcement jurisdictions, possibly an attempt to confuse an investigation.”

“Local or federal, there still isn’t anything specific in the letters that says what the person wants or what I’m supposed to have done. Or, for that matter, if they’re unhappy with me personally or if the vague threat is aimed at one of my companies.”

Cam maintained a casual attitude until Tom left the office. One thing about this mess bothered him more than anything else—the possibility that someone had been able to unravel his past and discover his true identity. For over twenty years there had been unsubstantiated rumors about where he came from before he started his meteoric rise to the top, but no one had ever been able to track down anything before he legally changed his name to Cameron Pierce—not even the fact that it had been the second time he legally changed his name. It was the main reason he refused to involve the police.

Then there was the other thing he didn’t want to acknowledge—the threatening letters started two weeks after Shelby Haywood came to work for him. Could there be a connection? She had worked for Jerry Decker, a point not in her favor. Thirty-four made her too young to have any connection to his deep past. But what about her family? Had either his father or uncle crossed paths with some member of her family, resulting in disaster for her hapless relative? Could that have caused her to seek revenge?

Blurb:

After the death of her husband, Shelby Haywood needs to escape the constant harassment from her former in-laws who blame her for his death. When offered a job with Pierce Industries in Seattle, she eagerly accepts but is unprepared for her instant attraction to the company's very desirable owner.

The moment billionaire Cameron Pierce meets Shelby, he knows she's what's been missing from his life. Veiled threats endanger secrets from his past and soon escalate to attempts on his life. When one attempt injures Shelby, he vows to protect her.

Shelby has her own secrets that could destroy her future with Cameron…or get them both killed.

Excerpts and other information available on my website  www.samanthagentry.com

Buy links:

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Past-Samantha-Gentry-ebook/dp/B0CJG4CMYX

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1144089246?ean=2940186044321