Off The Record (With Me in Seattle Mafia #3) -Kristen Proby Page 0,67
in the corner of the room, crisscross applesauce, close my eyes, and begin my meditation.
I go to my happy place in my mind.
It’s on a boat at a marina in Seattle with Archer. Even after all these years, following drama and hurt and more shit than I care to dwell on, it’s always Archer I think about when I go to my happy place.
His smile. His gentle hands. Archer was my safe place, my constant source of stability in a life that was anything but stable.
When you’re the daughter of a mob boss, life is damn scary.
Three minutes later, with a clear mind and relaxed shoulders, I retrieve my coffee and go about the rest of my routine. Shower. Makeup. Hair up in a ponytail.
When I’m dressed and have another cup of coffee in my trusty Girls rule! to-go mug, I set off for work in my old, rusted-out Buick. Saying it’s second-hand is too kind. It was most likely fifth-hand.
But it does the job and gets me to and from just fine.
It also doesn’t draw any unwanted attention.
It’s a ten-minute drive to the rescue. I park in my usual spot and walk into the nursery, which is dimly lit as soft music plays through Bluetooth speakers.
It feels like a spa. Like someone’s going to hand me a robe and a cup of tea and lead me back to a massage room.
But instead, we have mountain lion cubs, raccoon kits, and a baby sloth, all waiting for my attention.
“Hey, Ally.”
I smile, used to being called Ally now. I changed my name when I moved to Bandon, complete with a credit history, passport, and driver’s license. All after I spent two years in California under a different name. Unfortunately, I ran into a school friend unexpectedly at the vineyard that I worked at and had to run again.
The mob has connections for a girl who needs to disappear.
“Good morning, Chad.” I smile at the man, who’s feeding one of the mountain lion cubs with a bottle. “How did it go last night?”
“Pretty normal,” he says. “Cleaned up a bunch of poop and fed roughly four hundred bottles.”
I laugh at the exaggeration, although there have been times when it felt like that many.
“Is everyone healthy?”
“Raccoon kit red didn’t want to eat,” he says with a frown, nodding at the pen behind me. “Keep an eye on her.”
“Will do. Thanks.”
We tie strings of different colors around the animals’ necks so we can tell them apart from each other and keep accurate records on each one.
I love this job. It’s exactly what I always wanted to do, even when I was a little girl. I’m fiercely protective of it, and I don’t even care that I work six hours a day, seven days a week since we lost an employee last year and haven’t replaced her.
This is where I’m needed, and I love it.
Really. I do.
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Also by Kristen Proby:
Other Books by Kristen Proby
The With Me In Seattle Series
Come Away With Me
Under The Mistletoe With Me
Fight With Me
Play With Me
Rock With Me
Safe With Me
Tied With Me
Breathe With Me
Forever With Me
Stay With Me
Indulge With Me
Love With Me
Dance With Me
Dream With Me
You Belong With Me
Imagine With Me
Shine With Me
Escape With Me
Check out the full series here: https://www.kristenprobyauthor.com/with-me-in-seattle
The Big Sky Universe
Love Under the Big Sky
Loving Cara
Seducing Lauren
Falling for Jillian
Saving Grace
The Big Sky
Charming Hannah
Kissing Jenna
Waiting for Willa
Soaring With Fallon
Big Sky Royal
Enchanting Sebastian
Enticing Liam
Taunting Callum
Heroes of Big Sky
Honor
Courage
Check out the full Big Sky universe here: https://www.kristenprobyauthor.com/under-the-big-sky
Bayou Magic
Shadows
Spells
Check out the full series here: https://www.kristenprobyauthor.com/bayou-magic
The Romancing Manhattan Series
All the Way
All it Takes
After All
Check out the full series here: https://www.kristenprobyauthor.com/romancing-manhattan
The Boudreaux Series
Easy Love
Easy Charm
Easy Melody
Easy Kisses
Easy Magic
Easy Fortune
Easy Nights
Check out the full series here: https://www.kristenprobyauthor.com/boudreaux
The Fusion Series
Listen to Me
Close to You
Blush for Me
The Beauty of Us
Savor You
Check out the full series here: https://www.kristenprobyauthor.com/fusion
From 1001 Dark Nights
Easy With You
Easy For Keeps
No Reservations
Tempting Brooke
Wonder With Me
Shine With Me
Kristen Proby’s Crossover Collection
Soaring with Fallon, A Big Sky Novel
Wicked Force: A Wicked Horse Vegas/Big Sky Novella
By Sawyer Bennett
All Stars Fall: A Seaside Pictures/Big Sky Novella
By Rachel Van Dyken
Hold On: A Play On/Big Sky Novella
By Samantha Young
Worth Fighting For: A Warrior Fight Club/Big Sky Novella
By Laura Kaye
Crazy Imperfect Love: A Dirty Dicks/Big Sky Novella
By K.L. Grayson
Nothing Without You: A Forever Yours/Big Sky Novella
By Monica Murphy
Check out the entire Crossover Collection here: https://www.kristenprobyauthor.com/kristen-proby-crossover-collection
About the Author
Kristen Proby has published close to sixty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle, Big Sky and Boudreaux series.
Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two cats and French Bulldog named Rosie.