Debbi Rawlins - Secret Defender

The helicopter was flying low behind them. The car swerved. There was another gunshot. Luke took a sharp right, and Sydney fell against the door, feeling the jolt the instant they left the pavement and hit the rocky ground, screeching to a halt. The helicopter stayed close overhead, the thunderous whirring vibrating in her ears.

Like lightning Luke was under a tree, perfectly still, his feet shoulder-length apart, his gun aimed toward a patch of blue sky between the trees. A second later he fired. Another shot. She saw the helicopter drop a few feet, then sway. Blades sputtered, and the helicopter lurched forward.

Shivering, she slowly raised her head. She couldn’t see Luke at first, and alarm rose in her throat. Panic slithered down her spine. She’d heard two shots. Had Luke been shot?

The sudden thought rocked her to her core.

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And we have six breathtaking books this month that will make the season even brighter….

THE LANDRY BROTHERS are back! We can’t think of a better way to kick off our December lineup than with this long-anticipated new installment in Kelsey Roberts’s popular series about seven rascally brothers, born and bred in Montana. In Bedside Manner, chaos rips through the town of Jasper when Dr. Chance Landry finds himself framed for murder…and targeted for love! Check back this April for the next title, Chasing Secrets. Also this month, watch for Protector S.O.S. by Susan Kearney. This HEROES INC. story spotlights an elite operative and his ex-lover who maneuver stormy waters—and a smoldering attraction—as they race to neutralize a dangerous hostage situation.

The adrenaline keeps on pumping with Agent-in-Charge by Leigh Riker, a fast-paced mystery. You’ll be bewitched by this month’s ECLIPSE selection—Eden’s Shadow by veteran author Jenna Ryan. This tantalizing gothic unravels a shadowy mystery and casts a magical spell over an enamored duo. And the excitement doesn’t stop there! Jessica Andersen returns to the lineup with her riveting new medical thriller, Body Search, about two hot-blooded doctors who are stranded together in a windswept coastal town and work around the clock to combat a deadly outbreak.

Finally this month, watch for Secret Defender by Debbi Rawlins—a provocative woman-in-jeopardy tale featuring an iron-willed hero who will stop at nothing to protect a headstrong heiress…even kidnap her for her own good.

Best wishes for a joyous holiday season from all of us at Harlequin Intrigue.

Sincerely,

Denise O’Sullivan

Senior Editor, Harlequin Intrigue

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Debbi Rawlins lives with her new husband in a Las Vegas suburb. She still misses Hawaii at times, mainly because of the ocean, but has come to enjoy desert living. Especially during the fall and winter months. Come summer, she heads for their Utah condo sitting 97,000 feet above the heat.

Sydney Wainwright—Heiress to millions. Someone is sending her threatening letters. Will she make it to her twenty-fifth birthday and claim her inheritance?

Luke Boudreau—Ex-cop, ex-con, he’s kidnapped Sydney but claims he wants to protect her.

Willard Seymour—Sydney’s godfather and lawyer, trusted friend of the Wainwright family who’s controlled the company since the death of her parents.

Rick Wainwright—The brother Sydney didn’t know she had until a year ago.

Jeff—The new man in Sydney’s life—an attorney she met at a party.

Julie—An old friend from the wrong side of the tracks, who’s suddenly popped into Sydney’s life again.

Mama Sadie—The only person who truly knows and trusts Luke Boudreau.

This is for Karl. See? I told you I’d make

an honest man out of you.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Sign the papers and die.

Sydney Wainwright stared at the bold black letters on the sheet of white paper. Her hands no longer trembled like they had when she’d received the first two threats. She’d been fearful then; now, she was angry.

She wadded up the note and then slipped it in the top drawer of her desk, way in the back where no one would see it. Better that Willard and her brother didn’t know she’d received another one. They’d already accused her of not taking the threats seriously enough.

They thought she should disappear for a while, go to France or Rio, or take a cruise. No way was she running scared. She’d finally taken control of her life. She wouldn’t give it up that easily.

After locking the desk, she grabbed her purse and headed down the hall. She had half an hour to make it to her hair appointment. That gave Willard only two minutes to complain about her venturing out alone.

He was such a dear man, a trusted and loyal friend of the family forever, but he’d become too protective since her parents’ death. He kept forgetting she wasn’t a child anymore.

She stopped outside his office and knocked briefly before opening the door. Rick was sitting across from Willard’s desk. They abruptly stopped talking when they saw her. Then her brother slid Willard a cryptic glance, which made her uneasy.

“Hey, what are you two doing? Conspiring against me?” She grinned, and Rick looked away.

“On your way to lunch?” Willard eyed the Chanel bag slung over her shoulder.

Rick immediately stood. “I was just on my way out, too. Let’s go together.”

She gave him a bland look. “Subtle, Rick.” She aimed her gaze to include Willard. “I’m going to quit telling you guys when I leave the building if you keep acting this way.”

“What?” Rick had the affronted-big-brother look down pat already. “I’m not supposed to break for lunch?”

She held back, instead of blasting him like she wanted to. She liked Rick, but she’d only known him for a year. It wasn’t as if he’d been the big brother she’d run to all her life, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings either. His lips curved in a wry smile. He’d learned to read her quickly. “Go ahead, tell me to butt out. I can take it.”

“Okay.” Sydney smiled back. “Butt out.”

He shook his head. “Look, I know it’s hard to take, me showing up suddenly, claiming I’m your half brother. I also know Willard had me checked out down to the kind of boxers I wear before he welcomed me into the fold.”