Amazon
Paperback Edition
A former solider must protect his
ex-fiancée and his secret son in the next installment of The
Specialists: Heroes Next Door
Before he could say "I do" on
his wedding day eight years ago, former special ops soldier Drew
Bryant was hustled away for a top secret mission. Everyone—including
the bride he left behind—believes he's long dead. But now his
former fiancée is on the run from a vengeful fugitive, and Drew is
handpicked to bring her to safety.
When he finds Addi Collins deep in the
swamplands of Louisiana—with the son he never knew existed—he has
to earn her trust to protect her from a vindictive desperado. And
prove he won't break her heart a second time.
Excerpt:
Addison Collins checked the fuel gauge,
quickly calculating how many more miles she could put between her and
the inevitable pursuit before they had to stop. Her brand-new BMW
could’ve done that for her, but not this ancient, new-to-her Land
Rover. That was what math was for, wasn’t it? This was the perfect
example she would keep in the back of her mind for the day her son
complained about his math homework.
“Mom, how much longer?”
She recognized that tone. He was about
to complain but not about math. Using the rearview mirror, she aimed
a confident smile at her son. His bright hair gleamed in the sunlight
coming through the window, but the glare on his face bordered on
mutinous.
She couldn’t blame him. They’d been
on the road for two days straight and had another day left. Possibly
more. “About another half hour and we’ll stop again.”
“I have to pee now.”
“You’ll have to hold it for a few
minutes.”
“A half hour is thirty
minutes. A few is more like three.”
Instead of maternal pride, Addison
couldn’t help wondering why she’d ever been inclined to teach him
the difference. “And how many threes are in thirty?”
“Ten.” He turned his face to the
window. “I still have to pee.”
“All right. I’ll find a place to
stop.”
“This car stinks,” he said a minute
later.
“The car is clean. It’s just
new-car smell.” With a persistent undertone of mildew, but she kept
that thought to herself.
“But it’s an old car.”
“True.” Patience will pay off.
“The car dealers spray a strong deodorizer to make it feel new.”
They had periodically rolled down the windows, but the heavy-duty
deodorizer scent lingered, punctuating the mildew rather than
overpowering it. This vehicle might be a major step down in value
from her BMW, but the dealer in Arizona had been willing to meet her
trade and cash terms without any questions, and that had been
priceless.
“Why?”
“So they can sell it faster.”
“Will our car stink like this when we
go back home?”
“I don’t know.” It was the only
safe answer because she hadn’t yet found the courage to tell her
son they weren’t going back. She hadn’t lied to him and she
wouldn’t start now, but she wasn’t ready to discuss it. The words
he needed to hear to understand the gravity of their new situation
just weren’t coming to her, and she wasn’t ready to cope with the
fallout when he realized he wouldn’t see his friends again.
Her own grief was too fresh, her fear
of the unknown too big. When she had a handle on her feelings, she
would be better able to help him with his. Coward, an annoying
little voice in her head muttered.
“It’s yucky in here,” he said,
making a gagging noise. He had a point, though she wasn’t about to
admit it. “I feel sick.”
Addison’s patience was fraying, but
it wasn’t Andy’s fault they were in this mess. No, this was all
her doing. She’d been the one to screw up their picture-perfect
life by getting conned by a not-nearly-perfect man. He’d looked
like Mr. Right, and until a few days ago, she’d been sure he was
the right man for both her and Andy. The only silver lining—and she
was clinging to it—was that she’d learned the truth before the
wedding.
To Honor and To Protect will be
available in ebook and paperback from Harlequin Intrigue on June 1st!
You can find our co-written titles listed at www.ReganBlack.com
or my Amazon author
page.
Live the adventure!
Regan
No comments:
Post a Comment