Reader
Let me tell you, getting Derek Lion to sit down and answer reader questions was like trying to get the man to find a coffee mug after Bethany reorganized his kitchen! He growled. He grunted. He eventually cooperated — but on his terms.
This edition’s spotlight is Shock and Awe, book one in the Pride Security series. Derek Lion is a retired Army veteran who turned his house in Falls Church, Virginia into the headquarters for his fledgling private security company. His assistant Bethany Colombo has spent the last two years making his life better in every way — and driving him absolutely crazy in the process. When they’re hired to find a stolen Venetian Carnival Mask from the National History Museum, the investigation throws them together in ways that make ignoring their feelings impossible.
DEREK ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
Q: What’s the deal with you and Bethany?
A: She’s my assistant. She runs Pride Security’s day-to-day operations. End of story.
(Rene's note: It is absolutely not the end of the story.)
Q: Why do you call her “doll”?
A: I don’t. Okay. That’s happened maybe twice. It’s not a habit. It’s a slip. Sometimes a word just… comes out. Can you blame me, when she's doing something above and beyond the scope of her employment.
Q: You run Pride Security out of your house. How does that work?
A: The house has everything we need. Basement gym, armory, bunk room, full bathroom, surveillance room. The kitchen feeds the team. The upstairs is mine. Bethany’s put her stamp on every square inch of the place, and the worst part is she’s made it feel more like home than it ever did when my ex-wife lived here. Before you ask — no, I’m not talking about my ex.
Q: Tell us about the case — the stolen mask.
A: A Volto mask made of pure gold, rumored to have been worn by Casanova. It went missing from the National History Museum before a major exhibition. The curator Jason Roberts hired us to find it quietly — no FBI, no Metro PD. Bethany dug into social media and uncovered connections the museum didn’t even know existed. The woman should’ve been an investigator from the start.
Q: One more — what’s Bethany’s coffee like?
A: Best damn coffee I’ve ever tasted. And she doesn’t even drink the stuff. She’s a tea drinker. Figure that one out.
📖 Ready to meet Derek and Bethany? Grab Shock and Awe →
𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 & 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛'𝐬 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄!
Grace
Genetics in Physical Anthropology is the only class I look forward to each week—and it has nothing to do with the syllabus.
It’s Professor Baldwin.
He’s off-limits, untouchable, and everything I shouldn’t want. But the way he looks at me makes my pulse race and my resolve crumble. I came to college to build a future, not to crave the one man who could ruin it.
Wanting him is dangerous.
Not wanting him feels impossible.
Professor Baldwin
The first day Grace walked into my lecture hall, my world stopped. I didn’t know her name yet, but I knew she was mine.
She’s an adult. Brilliant. Forbidden. Every rule I’ve lived by tells me to keep my distance, but I’ve never been good at denying what I want. And once I want something, I don’t let it go.
If crossing the line is the only way to have her, I’ll break every rule standing in my way.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞:
✔️college romance
✔️forbidden romance
✔️forced proximity
𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞→ https://thefictionalheroeslibrary.com/
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