Rita Herron - Anything for His Son

Was it a trap?

The air felt different, smelled different. Ethan hesitated a moment, then opened the door to the empty condo. The explosion shook the floor, shattered glass. Instinctively he threw his arms over Rebecca to protect her from the debris, as fire exploded inside the room.

“Bec, are you hurt?”

“I’m all right,” she managed. “But what if…what if Jesse was in there?”

He pushed to his knees. “I’ll find out.” Fear darkened his eyes; then he turned and ran into the blazing condo, yelling Jesse’s name.

Rebecca’s heart clenched. Ethan would do anything for his son. She couldn’t lose him or Jesse.

Heat seared her as she darted into the condo behind him. Flames clawed at the walls and filled her nose with smoke. Still she dug through the splintered wood. Her breath caught as she spotted something red beneath the mess. She dug it out and screamed in horror.

It was Jesse’s baseball cap.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author Rita Herron wrote her first book when she was twelve, but didn’t think real people grew up to be writers. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job. A former teacher and workshop leader, she traded her storytelling for kids for romance, and writes romantic comedies and romantic suspense. She lives in Georgia with her own romantic hero and three kids. She loves to hear from readers so please write to her at PO Box 921225, Norcross, GA 30092-1225, USA or visit her website at www.ritaherron.com.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Ethan Matalon– This former Eclipse operative is about to lose it all – unless he can save his son from a sadistic kidnapper hell-bent on revenge.

Rebecca Matalon– Her son is missing, and the only man who can save him is his father – the man she once loved, but now is about to divorce.

Jesse Matalon– The five-year-old son of Ethan and Rebecca.

Ty Jones– Eclipse operative who discovers that the kidnapping is part of a much bigger plan to bomb Boston.

Liam Shea– The mastermind behind the revenge scheme against the Eclipse team, he’s targeting them one by one and has a grand finale planned that will rock the city.

Finn Shea– Liam’s son used Rebecca to get close to her son, and will do anything to destroy the man who betrayed his father.

Grant Davis– The vice-president is still missing. Will the team find him in time to save his life and keep the Sheas from blowing up the city?

RITA HERRON

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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To Adam, my own son who I would

do anything for.

2:00 p.m., August 2

Seventeen hours into the blackout.

Finn Shea smiled as the afternoon temperature in the city began to climb. People were frantic. Traffic jams clogged the streets; subways were stranded. A half-million people were without power. Businesses had closed or were trying to run on auxiliary sources. Tempers had flared and violence had broken out, escalating crime.

His father, Liam, had set his plan in motion last night, now it was in full swing. The target—the men who once belonged to a select coterie of Special Forces servicemen.

The so-called band of brothers had performed highly classified, highly dangerous missions for the military, all flawlessly.

Except for their last.

Ten years ago their mission had been to rescue hostages in civil war-torn Barik, a small Middle Eastern nation.

A mission that ended his father’s brilliant career.

And ruined his life.

Now his father was out of jail, back in control. And ready to mete out punishments to the men who had betrayed him and stood idly by while he alone took the fall for the disastrous mission.

Tom Bradley, who had been in command of the mission, was dead now. But the other six men had moved on, had lived good lives while his father had suffered.

Shane Peters, security expert. Chase Vickers, engine expert. Ethan Matalon, computer ace. Ty Jones, demolitions man. The only non-American, Frederick LeBron, a language specialist and a prince from the tiny alpine nation of Beau Pays. And last but not least, Grant Davis, then the tactical expert—now the damn vice-president.

Thanks to his brothers, Finn knew actions had already been taken against Shane Peters and Chase Vickers. As for Vice-President Davis…well, Finn knew he’d soon come to an explosive end. Ethan Matalon was next on the hit list. Finn’s target.

Yes, his father was finally exacting his revenge.

Because Liam Shea had been innocent. Nevertheless he’d been court-martialed, dishonorably discharged and incarcerated anyway. And his family’s life had been destroyed. His wife had filed for divorce. Hoping to escape the publicity and shame, she’d dragged her sons from their Massachusetts home to that god-awful small town in Oregon.

But they hadn’t escaped at all. Liam had been tormented every day in prison. And Finn and his brothers had paid the price, as well.

Liam’s team was to blame.

And now each of them had to face the consequences.

Finn stared at the photo of Ethan Matalon’s son, Jesse. Five years old. Without a full-time father. Scared of the dark.

Finn forced a steel wall around his heart. He couldn’t care about the kid. Wars caused casualties, he reminded himself.

And Ethan’s Achilles’ heel was his son.

It was only fair. Finn’s father had lost years with his boys. Now Ethan would lose his own, too.

And his pain would be their revenge.

Chapter One

Jesse hated the dark.

Rebecca Matalon had learned to hate it, too. Her five-year-old son’s cry in the night had woken her the evening before, and she’d spent hours trying to convince him that no monsters lurked in the shadows.

The insufferable sudden blackout that had hit Boston last night had continued into the day. So had Jesse’s crankiness.

She stared outside through the fifth-story window of the Ritz-Carlton, stunned that it was already 2:00 p.m. and the power still had not been restored. Never had she seen the city such a madhouse of chaos and ill tempers. Useless air conditioners, accidents due to nonfunctioning traffic lights and vandalism had turned normal decent people into irritable, aggressive, paranoid, violent citizens.

If she were in L.A., she’d be at work reporting the mess.

Instead, she was trying to keep her five-year-old son entertained and happy without the joys of television, electronic games…or his father.

Ethan hadn’t even been able to go to the Red Sox game with her and Jesse yesterday. And Ethan and Jesse’s common love of baseball had assured her they’d always remain close.

In spite of the fact that she’d moved thousands of miles away.

She dressed in the coolest linen skirt and cotton blouse she’d packed, swept her long blond hair into a chignon and clipped silver loops in her ears. A simple assessment in the mirror assured her that she looked fine. Not that she was primping for this dreaded rendezvous with Ethan, her soon-to-be-ex, but she hated to face him looking like a bedraggled sleep-deprived maniac. After all, she was the mother of his child and had been his lover.