A dangerous thief is closing in and she is all alone...
Michelle
Korbel is slowly recovering from the emotional blow of a miscarriage
following one passionate night with the man of her dreams. Now her
antique store, her sole pride and joy, is threatened by a man convinced
she has his property.
Can a friend from her past rescue her in time?
Nolan
Swann, an attorney based in Chicago, is on his way to Kansas on behalf
of a client. Close enough to his home town, he’ll also settle an estate
for his family after avoiding the task for the past year. And he’ll
finally see the friend he fell into bed with once and never called
again.
When Swann discovers Michelle hiding on his family
property, he vows to make things right between them. But until she
decides to trust him, they don't stand a chance against the thief
hunting her.
If you like page-turning mystery with sizzling chemistry and romance, you'll fall in love with Swann!
When hope is lost, truth is blurred, and your life is on the line, it’s time to call in the Guardian Agency.
Chapter 1
Most days there was a low undercurrent of productive energy pulsing
through the elegantly decorated law offices of Gamble and Swann. The
Michigan Avenue address and the building centered on Chicago’s
Magnificent Mile were as exclusive as the clientele. On this early June
afternoon the office had gone quiet on purpose. Nolan Swann and his
partner, Patrick Gamble, had cleared out everyone for an important
quarterly meeting with their primary client.
Although the firm
employed attorneys who specialized in corporate and family law, Gamble
and Swann handled criminal cases when asked to do so by the man they
represented, the man who made it possible for them to pick and choose
the rest of their caseload with care.
Their client wouldn’t show up
in person. As far as Swann knew, the man never left his estate. But even
with a conference call they ruthlessly protected his privacy. So it was
just the two of them in the conference room when the phone rang. After a
brief greeting, they gave their quarterly report on the status of his
business interests, including the current cases handled by his pet
project known as the Guardian Agency.
The protection and security
service didn’t advertise, picking up assignments across the country
solely by word of mouth. Still, they’d grown a superb reputation for
stepping in and salvaging apparently lost causes.
“You did a fine
job for Billie Hamilton in Montana,” their client said, pride coming
across loud and clear in his rusty voice. “She can’t say enough good
things about the agency.”
“That’s great news,” Gamble replied evenly.
Swann
glanced across the table. Billie, the U.S. Attorney in Montana, was
Gamble’s ex-wife. Though his partner didn’t talk about her much, he’d
been relieved they could help her when a high-profile case went off the
rails.
“Swann, are you still worried about staffing?”
“Yes, sir, I
am.” He waited a beat, got Gamble’s nod, and continued. “With the rate
we are accepting cases, I think we could be more efficient with another
analyst on board.”
“Did the search for that last witness in the Native Mob case in Montana burn out Tyler completely?”
“No, sir,” Gamble interjected. “He’s back up to full speed.”
“Good.” The client cleared his throat. “I like that boy.”
Swann
exchanged a smile with Gamble. Their top client was an eccentric
recluse, but he genuinely cared about the men and women involved with
the Guardian Agency.
“And Claudia is well?”
“Yes sir,” Swann said. “She’s seven months along now and feeling great according to Nathan.”
“Wonderful news. Make sure we set up a trust for the child.”
Gamble flipped to a clean sheet on his notepad and they verified the specifics.
“Swann,”
the client said, when the trust was set. “I see your point. It would be
nice to have another analyst in place before Claudia’s maternity leave.
With that in mind, there’s a young man recently sentenced to twelve
years in Leavenworth. I believe he’s the right analyst to add to our
team. Of course, the final decision is yours, gentlemen. As always.”
With a swift round of good-byes, Gamble and Swann were left staring at each other.
“He can’t mean—”
“Connor Brady,” Swann finished for him. “That’s exactly who he’s suggesting.”
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