The Perfect Cover Read online

  The Perfect Cover

  Charlotte Byrd

  Contents

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  About Charlotte Byrd

  Also by Charlotte Byrd

  The Perfect Cover

  1. Tyler

  2. Isabelle

  3. Isabelle

  4. Tyler

  5. Isabelle

  6. Tyler

  7. Isabelle

  8. Isabelle

  9. Isabelle

  10. Tyler

  11. Isabelle

  12. Isabelle

  13. Isabelle

  14. Isabelle

  15. Isabelle

  16. Isabelle

  17. Tyler

  18. Isabelle

  19. Tyler

  20. Tyler

  21. Isabelle

  22. Tyler

  23. Isabelle

  24. Tyler

  25. Isabelle

  26. Isabelle

  27. Isabelle

  28. Tyler

  29. Isabelle

  Connect with Charlotte Byrd

  Also by Charlotte Byrd

  About Charlotte Byrd

  Copyright © 2020 by Charlotte Byrd, LLC.

  All rights reserved.

  Proofreaders:

  Julie Deaton, Deaton Author Services, https://www.facebook.com/jdproofs/

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  Savanah Cotton, Cotton's Incision Editing, https://www.facebook.com/Cottons-Incision-Editing-512917856115256/

  Cover Design: Charlotte Byrd

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a word of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Visit my website at www.charlotte-byrd.com

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  Praise for Charlotte Byrd

  “BEST AUTHOR YET! Charlotte has done it again! There is a reason she is an amazing author and she continues to prove it! I was definitely not disappointed in this series!!” ★★★★★

  * * *

  “LOVE!!! I loved this book and the whole series!!! I just wish it didn't have to end. I am definitely a fan for life!!! ★★★★★

  * * *

  “Extremely captivating, sexy, steamy, intriguing, and intense!” ★★★★★

  * * *

  “Addictive and impossible to put down.” ★★★★★

  * * *

  “What a magnificent story from the 1st book through book 6 it never slowed down always surprising the reader in one way or the other. Nicholas and Olive's paths crossed in a most unorthodox way and that's how their story begins it's exhilarating with that nail biting suspense that keeps you riding on the edge the whole series. You'll love it!” ★★★★★

  * * *

  “What is Love Worth. This is a great epic ending to this series. Nicholas and Olive have a deep connection and the mystery surrounding the deaths of the people he is accused of murdering is to be read. Olive is one strong woman with deep convictions. The twists, angst, confusion is all put together to make this worthwhile read.” ★★★★★

  * * *

  “Fast-paced romantic suspense filled with twists and turns, danger, betrayal, and so much more.” ★★★★★

  * * *

  “Decadent, delicious, & dangerously addictive!” - Amazon Review ★★★★★

  * * *

  “Titillation so masterfully woven, no reader can resist its pull. A MUST-BUY!” - Bobbi Koe, Amazon Review ★★★★★

  * * *

  “Captivating!” - Crystal Jones, Amazon Review ★★★★★

  * * *

  “Sexy, secretive, pulsating chemistry…” - Mrs. K, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★

  * * *

  “Charlotte Byrd is a brilliant writer. I've read loads and I've laughed and cried. She writes a balanced book with brilliant characters. Well done!” -Amazon Review ★★★★★

  * * *

  “Hot, steamy, and a great storyline.” - Christine Reese ★★★★★

  * * *

  “My oh my....Charlotte has made me a fan for life.” - JJ, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★

  * * *

  “Wow. Just wow. Charlotte Byrd leaves me speechless and humble… It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. Once you pick it up, you won't put it down.” - Amazon Review ★★★★★

  * * *

  “ Intrigue, lust, and great characters...what more could you ask for?!” - Dragonfly Lady ★★★★★

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  About Charlotte Byrd

  Charlotte Byrd is the bestselling author of romantic suspense novels. She has sold over 700,000 books and has been translated into five languages.

  She lives near Palm Springs, California with her husband, son, and a toy Australian Shepherd who hates water. Charlotte is addicted to books and Netflix and she loves hot weather and crystal blue water.

  Write her here:

  [email protected]

  Check out her books here:

  www.charlotte-byrd.com

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  Also by Charlotte Byrd

  All books are available at ALL major retailers! If you can’t find it, please email me at [email protected]

  * * *

  The Perfect Stranger Series

  The Perfect Stranger

  The Perfect Cover

  The Perfect Lie

  The Perfect Life

  The Perfect Getaway

  The Perfect Couple

  * * *

  All the Lies Series

  All the Lies

  All the Secrets

  All the Doubts

  All the Truths

  All the Promises

  All the Hopes

  * * *

  Tell me Series

  Tell Me to Stop

  Tell Me to Go

  Tell Me to Stay

  Tell Me to Run

  Tell Me to Fight

  Tell Me to Lie

  * * *

  Wedlocked Trilogy

  Dangerous Engagement

  Lethal Wedding

  Fatal Wedding

  * * *

  Tangled Series

  Tangled up in Ice

  Tangled up in Pain

  Tangled up in Lace

  Tangled up in H
ate

  Tangled up in Love

  * * *

  Black Series

  Black Edge

  Black Rules

  Black Bounds

  Black Contract

  Black Limit

  * * *

  Not into you Duet

  Not into you

  Still not into you

  Lavish Trilogy

  Lavish Lies

  Lavish Betrayal

  Lavish Obsession

  Standalone Novels

  Dressing Mr. Dalton

  Debt

  Offer

  Unknown

  The Perfect Cover

  When Tyler McDermott escapes from prison, he takes me hostage. No, I do not fall in love with my captor.

  Tyler is an innocent man who was framed for a heinous double murder.

  Of course, I do not know that yet.

  All that I know is that he has a knife to my throat. All that I know is that if I want to live, I have to let him in.

  This simple act of courage will change my safe life forever and show me that true love is possible after all.

  But what happens when that love is not enough?

  1

  Tyler

  When I leave…

  Last night was my thank you to Isabelle for everything she had done for me.

  Last night was also my goodbye.

  I knew I was going to leave as soon as we got to Ohio, the first place we stopped. I needed her help to get out of her neighborhood and all of the roads that were blocked. I needed to get at least a state away.

  But after that?

  I can’t have her endangering her life for me anymore.

  I know that Isabelle won’t let me leave on my own. I know that she wants to protect me, but I can’t let her.

  This is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to endure and that includes identifying my wife’s dead body, standing in the courtroom, and being convicted of a murder that I didn’t commit.

  Isabelle and I leave in the middle of the night. Blackness is still hanging in the air all around us.

  I give her a kiss right before I get into the trunk of the 2002 Honda Accord that she bought from an ad on Craigslist. No one knows that this is the car that she’s driving and it’s going to be a while before all of the official forms are filed with the state in her name.

  Standing in her garage, I press my lips softly to hers. She’s shivering. I rub her shoulders to warm her up, but the goose bumps don’t go away.

  She’s not cold. She’s nervous.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I whisper.

  She gives me a slight nod and then gets up on her tiptoes to kiss me again. After a moment, we just hold each other in our arms.

  It’s hard to explain how surprised I am that any of this is happening. When I first escaped from a maximum-security prison and hid in the home of the woman I only knew as a child, I had hoped that I could keep her sequestered in her room so that she wouldn’t find out my identity.

  When that didn’t work and she recognized me, I had no choice but to tell her the truth.

  I thought that she wouldn’t believe me. I had been convicted of killing my wife, her boyfriend, and her unborn child, the child that I had no knowledge of. The only thing I knew was that my wife’s lover was my partner and he had just taken the business from me. Unfortunately, the prosecutor used that as motive. Therefore, I must have done it.

  The cops agreed and didn’t investigate. My wife’s murderer is still at-large and I was sentenced to life in prison.

  No one believed me when I tried to tell them I was innocent.

  No one except for Isabelle.

  Isabelle knew me when I was barely a teenager. We were best friends and we had feelings for each other but neither of us admitted it out loud. She knew who I was at my core and she knew that I did not commit those crimes. I don’t know why she believed me, but she did and for that I will be eternally grateful.

  However, her faith in me doesn’t change my circumstances. Every law enforcement officer in the Tri-state area is looking for me and I had gotten injured trying to escape. I thought that hiding out at her home would relieve some of the pressure, but I quickly realized that they were circling in on me.

  There are police officers patrolling all the streets in her neighborhood and even pulling people and cars over to give out WANTED flyers with our pictures. There is a $100,000 reward available to anyone who can give the authorities any information leading to our arrests.

  There’s an actual bounty on my head.

  When I was studying at the University of Pennsylvania and starting my hedge fund, making millions of dollars in the process, I never suspected that I would ever be in this situation; hiding out in the trunk of a car and crossing state lines with the only person who believes in my innocence.

  So, why am I leaving her?

  I have thought about this a hundred different times and imagined a hundred different scenarios. I need to protect Isabelle, but I also need to get out.

  She bought a car that she registered in her name and she took out cash from the bank, all of the savings that she has in the world. I came to her without a penny to my name and I’m leaving with new clothes, a car, a burner phone, and five thousand dollars. And I didn’t need to steal any of it.

  The only reason I’m taking it, borrowing it, whatever you want to call it, is that I need to protect her. I need her to go back home and to live her life just like she did before.

  It’s cold back here.

  The air is still and stale.

  It’s dark.

  We drive for a long time without stopping and I know that no one suspects a thing. The longer we drive, the more I wonder whether I’m even doing the right thing.

  It’s not that I don’t want to be with her. In fact, I want to be with her more than I ever wanted anything. Probably more than I even want freedom, and that’s what makes it so scary.

  The cops who found Lester, one of my partners, the guy whose cell was right next to mine, shot him. They executed him without even trying to arrest him. They didn’t report that on the news, but I know that’s what happened. That’s usually what happens with everyone who is deemed armed and dangerous.

  Since I love Isabelle, I can’t let that happen to her. I can’t put her life in danger like that.

  The car comes to a stop and she hits the steering wheel three times with a loud bang that I hear all the way in the back.

  This is my signal.

  I know that everything is fine and that she’s just pulling over to let me out.

  I feel the outside of my pocket and the jeans that she got me at T.J. Maxx. I trace the outline of the folded up letter that I had written her.

  Here, I tried to explain and apologize for everything. I also left her a thousand dollars so that she can get an Uber to a car rental place and then rent a car to get back home.

  In the letter, I lay it all out and I tell her not to worry. I promise that I will get in contact as soon as I have everything set out west.

  After I emerge from the trunk, in the back of a gas station somewhere along the interstate, I quickly get into the passenger seat so that no one spots me. Wearing a hat that I pull over my eyebrows and popping up the collar to my jacket, I hope that there are no cameras back here and, if there are any, that they don’t see me.

  Isabelle says that she’s going to get something from the store and asks what I want. I tell her to surprise me and she waves goodbye.

  When I give her a hug, I slip the letter into her purse and make sure that she takes it, even when she just wants to take her wallet.

  She doesn’t think anything of it at the moment, but I know that she will as soon as she comes out.

  When she disappears around the corner of the convenience store, I start the car and pull away.

  2

  Isabelle

  When I see him…

  The door closes behind me, making a loud dinging sound before it shuts.
The chill of the early morning slams into my lungs as I take a breath and look for Tyler.

  I go back to where I left the car. It’s not there.

  Uncertain as to what to do, I stand holding everything that I had bought in my arms and listen to the uncomfortable crinkling sound of the plastic bag of potato chips.

  When the wind picks up, I grasp the stuff tighter, wondering if it’s the only thing I have.

  “Tyler, where are you?” I whisper.

  My chest tightens as my pulse accelerates.