Stricken (Strategies of the Heart Book 3)

Determined to forge her own path, Trinity Richards moves to Los Angeles. Though both Richards brothers monitor her every move, she quickly establishes the groundwork to ensure every dream comes true. But the enemy is hungry for a new target, and Trinity has landed in the crosshairs.

Tim Rhodes tried to find solace at the bottom of a liquor bottle after the death of his wife, but nothing took away the pain. The script certainly doesn't have another relationship in his future. But Trinity looks past the broken man to reach through the fog of grief. Her gentleness places his battered soul on edge, even as he learns he still has something to fight for. Now a danger they can't identify is once again threatening to take away this chance for happiness. Together, can they be strong enough to survive before their opponent calls checkmate?

The elevator door dinged open. With a deep breath, Trinity stepped out onto the brown marble flooring. A wood panel wall greeted her with large silver letters spelling out the law office's name: Greenhold and Berndale. One of the largest in L.A. And she'd won the position without any help from a famous, rich family. Her
accomplishment, and hers alone.

She turned to face the large glass doors and hesitated, palms moist, stomach grumbling despite a light breakfast an hour earlier. The internship she dreamed of, fought so hard to win, and now she stood in the hall, ready to walk into the future. Through college courses and fights with Daddy, through long study hours and missed parties, it
all brought her to this moment.

Nerves aside, Trinity felt like dancing.

Straightening both shoulders, she pulled one door open and headed to the reception counter. Behind the sleek, contemporary lines and frosted glass top, a woman who couldn’t be much older than Trinity sat with a headset, computer, and bland expression.

Trinity smiled as the bleach blonde looked at her with mildly welcoming eyes. "Hi. I'm
Trinity Richards. I begin my internship today."

The woman pushed her
hair away from her heavily painted face. "Yes. Ms. Richards. Mr. Berndale
is expecting you." The secretary stood and circled the desk. "Right this way, please."

Trinity followed the secretary down a hall past closed doors to the last office door labeled with Elliot Berndale's name. The secretary knocked, then, without waiting for a reply,
opened the door to a large suite. The minimalistic furniture—a table, chair, no legal magazines, no plaques on the walls—somehow still spoke of the wealth enjoyed by the prestigious law firm. Trinity’s eyes traveled across the room to a desk in front of wide, cornered windows.

A man with silver gray hair looked up from a stack of folders, face stern. "Yes,
Jessica?"

The woman nodded in Trinity’s direction. "The intern’s here."

Just like that, no formal introductions. Trinity plastered on a professional smile and stepped forward with an outstretched hand. "Trinity Richards."

Mr. Berndale waved towards the chair before the desk without standing or returning the smile. "Yes. Of course. Have a seat."

She settled in the leather upholstery, ankles crossed, and heard Jessica’s heels clack against the floor, then the office door shut softly behind her. "Good morning, Mr. Berndale. I am grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to getting started."

"Yes." Mr. Berndale steepled his fingers against a clean-shaven chin and gauged her with hard eyes. "As we discussed during the interview, your family name will not win you brownie points here. I fully expect you to earn your own credentials and convince me to hire you following the internship."

His icy tone and judgmental
eyes didn’t persuade or intimidate her. Men scarier than Berndale came into her
family home daily to meet with Daddy. She learned long ago not to be intimidated by their presence.

Instead, Trinity nodded.
"That's how I want it to be. Who my family is, or isn’t, has no bearing on my aspirations to be a lawyer."

Mr. Berndale gently rubbed the thin lines engraving valleys across his broad forehead. "Very well. Jessica will give you the paperwork to fill out. As previously discussed, you will be paid a wage of twenty-seven an hour. It is expected that you work
hard and do what is asked. There will be no special provisions made for you. I
demand excellent performance with few mistakes. Is that clear?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good." He reached for the phone, dialed a single number, and waited for a moment in silence. "Jessica, please take Ms. Richards to the conference room with the packet
I left at the front desk this morning."

He hung up the phone and returned to work without another word. She crossed both hands on her lap as she focused on the windows overlooking the city when the door opened behind her once more.

"Thank you, sir." She stood and, when he didn't respond, followed Jessica out of the office. The job wasn’t going to be a fun one, but that didn’t matter.

The experience was a stepping stone, and that was all she needed.

Language: English

Number of Pages: 502 pages

Estimated Time to Read: 7 hours

Word Count: 84,071

Series & All Books in Series: Strategies of the Heart (Impact, Mask, Stricken)

Formats: ePub & Mobi

Devices: Kindle, Apple, & Android Devices, Nook & Kobo Readers, Computers

Delivery Time & Method: Instant delivery to domestic and international readers via the email address provided at check-out

Also available at:Amazon, Nook, Apple, Google Play, & Smashwords