Rannigan’s Redemption is the story of high-profile Manhattan defense attorney Michael Rannigan and his complicated relationship with Maggie Flynn, the sassy red-haired lawyer he hires to join his elite firm.

Running Rogue is the second book of three in the Rannigan’s Redemption Collection, and it’s from where I took today’s excerpt.

This snippet is from the beginning of the book.  Things are about to drastically change and not everyone is happy about it.  Be forewarned: Sometimes characters use naughty words.  It’s just what they do.

This excerpt contains strong language and is not intended for sensitive readers.  If, on the other hand, you don’t give a shit, by all means, read on.  😉

On Friday afternoon, Michael took the elevator to the 50th floor.  He’d ended his vacation a couple of days early.  Two weeks is really too long to be gone, he reflected.  He figured he’d check up on what had happened in his absence then join the gang at Docs.  He had Maggie’s bracelet in his pocket, figuring on returning it to her.

The first person he saw when he stepped off the elevator was Stan.  “Hey, good, you made it for Maggie’s party,” Stan said, smiling.

Michael frowned.  “Maggie’s party?  It’s not her birthday already, is it?”  How did that sneak up on me?

Stan tilted his head.  “Her going-away party.  You came back for her last day, right?  She’s going to the DA’s office?”

Michael’s mouth fell open.  “Her last…”  He glanced around.  “What the fuck?!”

He strode purposefully toward Maggie’s open office door.  She was behind her desk, her back to the door.  “What the fuck, Mags?!”

Maggie whirled around, her eyes wide.  “Michael!”

“Explain to me what’s going on here,” he demanded.

She opened and closed her mouth, her face flushed.  “I, well I, uh…  I gave Brian my two week notice.  I took a job working for Rance.”

“You gave Brian your notice?!”

“You weren’t here,” she said reasonably.

Michael began to stalk back and forth in front of her desk.  “What the fuck possessed you to take a new job?  And you couldn’t wait for me to get back?  I would have offered you a raise.”

Maggie shook her head.  “It’s not about the money.  I hated what I did to win the LeRoi case.  You know that really ate away at me.  I can’t do that anymore.  I feel…dirty, like I need redemption.  I have to do something different, something good.”

Michael stopped pacing and placed his hands on her desk, leaning closer and speaking in a low tone.  “Is this about us?  About the fact that we slept together?”

She crossed her arms and leaned against the credenza.  “News flash, Michael.  Not everything in the world is about you.”

He stood straight and nodded his head angrily.  “So it’s like this, is it?  You’re just going to leave the firm.”

“I’ve been here five years.  It’s time to move on.”  She hung her bag over her shoulder and picked up her box, walking around the desk.

“Let me call security,” Michael told her coolly.  “They can escort you out and see that you don’t take any property belonging to the firm.”

Maggie’s eyes bulged.  “Are you serious?  You want to make sure I don’t steal anything?!”  She walked back to the desk and put down the box.  “Fuck it.  I don’t need any of this shit.”

She glared at Michael.  “You worried about my purse?”  She unzipped the bag and upended it, dumping a wallet, three pens, loose change, hand lotion, a lipstick, and two tampons all over the floor before dropping the bag.

She snatched up the wallet.  “If you don’t mind, I’ll need my ID and my Metro card.”  She turned on her heel and stalked out into the hallway.

Michael interlaced his fingers on top of his head and sighed.  “Wait, Mags, I was out of line,” he said, following her.

“Out of line?  You were out of line?” she shrieked.  “Fuck you, Michael!”  She jabbed the elevator button and entered it as soon as the doors parted, pressing the close door button even before the car was all the way open.

Action on the 50th floor had ground to a halt at the sound of raised voices and as Maggie disappeared, people remained frozen, staring at Michael.

“Fuck!” he growled, and retreated to his office, slamming the door behind him.

Running Rogue, Book 2 of Rannigan’s Redemption is available here in any format you need: books2read.com/RunningRogue

Or you can get the whole shebang here: books2read.com/RannigansRedemption