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Never Say Never Again
By WS Carmichael
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Never Say Never Again from WS Carmichael
Matt Montgomery is done with the fast life. After ten years in the military and two years running with the Iron Nomads, he longs for stability. His brother, Dylan, owns a thriving construction business in Laurel Creek, a sleepy little town in upstate New York, and Matt is finally ready to accept his brother’s offer to become partners. But, before he can be free of the Nomads, he has one last job to do for them. He must find and deliver a hustler named Frank Tanner to the notorious MC. As luck would have it, Frank has ties to Laurel Creek, which makes Matt’s job easier. Or does it?
Emma Campbell has fought hard to build a life for herself after finally divorcing her abusive husband five years ago. She’s happy, confident, independent and has sworn off men. That is, until her ex, Frank, returns to Laurel Creek in an insane attempt to extort money from her. With no other choice, she accepts protection from her best friend’s sexy brother in law.
Finding himself deeply involved with his target’s ex-wife, Matt must find a way to complete his objective without Emma discovering his real reason for returning Laurel Creek.
Can Matt keep his deception hidden from Emma, or will his lies jeopardize everything? Can Emma ever move past the hurt she suffered at the hands of Frank, or has he irreparably damaged her?
A racy story about love, pain, lies and truth, Never Say Never Again celebrates the power and resiliency of true love.
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Tell us about Never Say Never Again.
Never Say Never Again is the second in my Laurel Creek series. It’s designed as a stand alone novel, though, so don’t worry if you haven’t read the first one. This is the story of Matt and Emma. I won’t rehash the entire blurb, but they find themselves thrown together by a series of events set in motion by her degenerate ex-husband, Frank.
What initially inspired you to write Never Say Never Again?
I knew I wanted to write NSNA as soon as I started to write the first book in the series, At Long Last. When Emma’s character formed in my mind, I knew right away I wanted her to have her own book. I’m really proud of how it turned out. I think readers will love it.
Tell us little about the characters in Never Say Never Again.
Matt Montgomery is the second oldest of the three Montgomery brothers. He’s spent much of his adult life in the military in some capacity, but decided not to reenlist after his last contract ended two years ago. Instead, he’s been running with the Iron Nomads, a motorcycle club, and gathering intel for them on whoever they need it on.
Emma Campbell is a hairdresser in the small town of Laurel Creek. She’s smart, funny, independent and exceptionally loyal to her best friend, Jenni Lynn. Unfortunately, she’s still hiding the emotional scars left behind when she divorced her abusive husband five years ago.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
I wouldn’t say anything about writing this book was hard, because I truly enjoyed every aspect of developing the plot and characters. I was continually surprised when new characters would pop up uninvited. It happened several times. I would be happily clicking away when suddenly a new character would demand to be written into the scene I was working on.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
Definitely the prologue. I was so excited to give readers an insight into Emma’s past. I actually wrote it before I finished At Long Last.
What are your future project(s)?
Right now, I’m working on a romantic comedy about a jilted bride, her best friend, and the desire to rediscover herself by sleeping her way through Las Vegas. Nothing works out as she plans and her one night stands almost always end in disaster long before she gets even close to the walk of shame.
I’m in town gathering intel on some jackass named Frank Tanner. I know he owes the club a shitload of money, but that’s all I know about why they want info on him. So far, I’ve been able to determine he’s a wife-beating piece of shit and he frequents this bar. Unlike most of the bars in New Paltz that cater to college kids, this one is outside town by a few miles and appeals to an older, rowdier local crowd. It isn’t officially a biker bar, but bikers wouldn’t be out of place here. There are several Harleys parked out front, including mine. I’ve linked Tanner to a local MC with chapters here and in Albany. I can’t report back to the Nomads until I know how closely tied he is to this club. I need to know how much protection he has.
I’ve been sitting at a table in the corner nursing the same beer for an hour, waiting for him to show up. I don’t like to drink while I’m working, but I have to make it look good. Fortunately, it’s busy enough the barmaid isn’t paying any attention to me or to how many drinks I’ve ordered.
I’m about to call it a night when a leggy brunette sits down on the only available stool at the bar. She checks her watch and pulls out her phone, sighs and drops it back into her purse. The barmaid takes her order, then sets a Corona down in front of her. I watch as she pushes the lime in and, covering the opening with her thumb, tips the bottle upside down. She takes a long pull off the beer and my eyes fixate on her throat as she swallows it. Turning so her back is against the bar, she surveys the room. Our eyes meet briefly. For a moment, time stops and the noise of the bar fades away. I tear my eyes away from her, shaking my head to clear it. What the hell was that about? She’s hot, but I have work to do.
Still, there’s no reason I can’t enjoy the view while I wait for Shitbag to show up. I glance back at the brunette, but she’s no longer looking at me. She’s turned back to face the bar, typing on her phone, oblivious to the three guys at the pool table checking her out. I can’t blame them. Her round ass perched on that barstool is a work of art.
After about a half hour and a few more texts, she finishes her beer and slides off the barstool. Clearly, whoever she’s waiting for isn’t going to show up. From my vantage point, I can see both the door and her face. The door opens and in walks in the son of a bitch I’ve been waiting for. Her face pales when she sees him and her hands shake as she pulls her keys from her purse.
Huh. She knows him. He’s between her and the door. She straightens her back and tries to step around him. He blocks her path. I don’t know her or their history, but this guy is seriously pissing me off. He’s obviously getting off on fucking with her.
“Frank, I’m leaving. Get out of my way.” she says in a surprisingly strong voice.
“Nah, baby. You come in here looking all fine, trying to find some action for the night. How ‘bout you come home with me, like old times?” he says.
What a piece of shit. I can’t imagine a beauty like her ever letting a slime ball like him touch her, but what do I know?
“I was meeting a friend here. Move.” she says and tries again to step around him.
This time he grabs her arm, hard enough to make her wince. That’s it. Enough. I stand up and casually walk to where they’re standing. I put my arm around her shoulders and he drops her arm like it’s on fire. Smart man. I tower over him by a good four inches and easily outweigh him by forty pounds.
“Hey, baby.” I say, pulling her closer to me. “Sorry I’m late. You ready to go?”
She stares at me blankly for a moment before responding. “Yeah, I am.”
Tanner steps out of the way, and I guide her through the door with my hand on her back. My bike is parked at the end of the row, almost in the shadows, but easily visible from the front window.
“Thank you for what you did in there. I’m alright now. My car is parked around the side of the building.” she says.
“Honey, do you really want him to see you get into a car by yourself? Does he know where you live?” I ask. Her face pales and I wonder what the hell her history with him is. “What’s your name?”
“Emma.” she says, still distracted.
Oh, holy shit. Fuck me. She must be the ex-wife. Damn it. Now, the connection is clear. No wonder she’s scared shitless of him. I read the damn police report. That mother fucker. If I wasn’t so worried about blowing my cover, I’d go right back in there and beat his ass.
WS Carmichael attempts to write the world into romantic bliss one contemporary romance novel at a time. Her first novel, At Long Last, has received rave reviews and she is currently hard at work on several others. The second installment of the Laurel Creek series, Never Say Never Again, will be released June 1.
When not cloistered in her office writing, she enjoys her busy life as the mother of three crazy teenagers, two adorable golden retrievers and wife to her adoring husband. Oh yeah, she also has a side gig working full time as a registered nurse.
You can find out more about her on her website.
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