Jennifer D. Bokal - Rocky Mountain Valor

In order to exact justice, one agent will do anything

A Rocky Mountain Justice story

Catching and killing a cruel drug lord is Ian Wallace’s obsession. So when his former lover, sports agent Petra Sloane, is charged with attempted murder, he sees how to connect her case with his, not how his heart will reconnect with hers. But as Petra’s life is threatened, Ian must decide between sworn revenge...and his true obsession.

JENNIFER D. BOKALis the author of the bestselling ancient-world historical romance The Gladiator’s Mistress and the second book in the Champions of Rome series, The Gladiator’s Temptation . Happily married to her own alpha male for twenty years, she enjoys writing stories that explore the wonders of love in many genres. Jen and her husband live in upstate New York with their three beautiful daughters, two aloof cats and two very spoiled dogs.

Also by Jennifer D. Bokal

Rocky Mountain Justice

Her Rocky Mountain Hero

Her Rocky Mountain Defender

Rocky Mountain Valor

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Rocky Mountain Valor

Jennifer D. Bokal

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07933-4

ROCKY MOUNTAIN VALOR

© 2018 Jennifer D. Bokal

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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“We had lots of dreams and plans back then,” he said as he eased the Range Rover up the ramp of the parking garage. “The two of us were going to set the world on fire.”

“In the end, we only burned each other.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” said Ian. “Was it?”

“We broke up and haven’t spoken for more than two years. So, I’d say it wasn’t good.”

Ian edged into a parking space marked as reserved. “No regrets for moving on, then?”

“Regrets,” she echoed with a short laugh. “I’ve never loved anyone in my life the way I love you.”

“Loved?” he asked. “Or love?”

Petra’s breath caught in her chest. She’d been such a fool to rush to Ian.

It wasn’t simply that she was in a mess, nor that he was well equipped to help her. It was that she wanted back what she had lost—the life they shared.

His question still hung in the air, like a cartoon speech bubble with a trail of dots. Loved or love?

* * *

Rocky Mountain Justice: These Colorado mercenaries fight for duty and honor

Dear Reader,

Like the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. And if that’s true, then it takes a small city to get a book into production. With that in mind, I need to thank several people who helped get Rocky Mountain Valor into the world.

To Susan, my editor: thanks for your support, guidance and never-ending optimism. Thanks also to Patience, the senior editor of the line, for your leadership and vision. The art department has created some amazing covers that have left me breathless. Thanks also to my agent for believing in me. I wouldn’t be here without you, Chris. I also want to thank all my writer friends and girlfriends for their support over the years, with a special shout-out to Michaela Stoughton. We might not solve all the world’s problems, but thank you for helping me create the best story possible. Finally, to my family. You are my world. Full stop.

I have one final thank-you to you, dear reader! I am proud, honored and humbled that you’ve taken time from your busy life to read Rocky Mountain Valor.

Enjoy!

Jennifer D. Bokal

PS: Check out my new website, jenbokal.com.

To John. You are my always and forever.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Epilogue

Extract

About the Publisher

Prologue

Denver, Colorado August 21 5:30 a.m.

Ian Wallace pressed his back into the wall and drew his semiautomatic pistol. The visor of his helmet was pulled low. Black pants. Black shirt. Black Kevlar vest. He blended into the darkness like a shadow.

“Ready,” he said, his voice pitched low. His helmet mic transmitted his command to his team of ten, waiting behind him. His words also went to a van, parked three blocks away, that served as a mobile headquarters.

There was a singular objective with the raid—arrest the three drug dealers, dubbed Comrades One, Two and Three. Yet he was far more interested in what the trio of Comrades knew about Nikolai Mateev, the godfather of Russian organized crime.

For Ian, the hunt for Nikolai Mateev was more than a job, it was his life’s work. It covered his skin, raced through his veins and filled his lungs. He hadn’t felt this soul-deep yearning in years. And the memory of the last time stung deeply. Not for the first time, he found the image of Petra Sloane stealing into his mind at the most inconvenient moment.

He shook his head to clear it, determined to free himself of all thoughts of her. Past was past. They were over. The most important bust of his career—of his life—was about to go down, and he had to remain focused. Eternity passed in the span of a single heartbeat.