Melinda Di Lorenzo - Undercover Refuge

Will the truth finally be revealed?

An Undercover Justice romance...

Undercover detective Rush Atkinson has finally infiltrated the crew of Jesse Garibaldi, the man suspected of killing his father years ago. But when Jesse orders him to “take care of” Alessandra Rivers—who’s been looking into her father’s death—Rush is forced to choose between maintaining his cover on his quest for revenge...and his sudden desire to protect Alessandra at all costs.

Amazon bestselling author MELINDA DI LORENZOwrites in her spare time—at soccer practices, when she should be doing laundry and in place of sleep. She lives on the beautiful west coast of British Columbia, Canada, with her handsome husband and her noisy kids. When she’s not writing, she can be found curled up with (someone else’s) good book.

Also by Melinda Di Lorenzo

Undercover Justice

Captivating Witness

Undercover Protector

Undercover Passion

Undercover Justice

Worth the Risk

Last Chance Hero

Silent Rescue

Trusting a Stranger

Deceptions and Desires

Pinups and Possibilities

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Undercover Refuge

Melinda Di Lorenzo

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09406-1

UNDERCOVER REFUGE

© 2019 Melinda A. Di Lorenzo

Published in Great Britain 2019

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.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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She made her way down the stairs, mindful of how hard her feet hit the wood and vigilant of her surroundings.

At the bottom, she took a deep breath then started another trek, this one over rocks and dirt and the occasional wayward root. It was a steep climb, and by the time she reached the tree line, Alessandra was slightly out of breath. So she paused to pull in a few gulps of oxygen. And when she did, she realized she could hear a masculine voice. Low enough that she couldn’t discern the words. But audible enough that she recognized it.

Rush. Thank God.

Her mind quickly connected the dots. The flash she’d seen was likely his phone, and he’d probably just sneaked off to have a quiet conversation. But the relief at having an explanation was short-lived. Because as Alessandra lifted her foot to move closer again, and opened her mouth to call his name, a light bit of wind kicked up and carried his voice to her. Clearly now, so she could completely make out his words.

“I’ve really got no choice,” he growled. “I have to get rid of her.”

The two statements were rough, angry and ominous. And they made Alessandra stumble. For a few seconds after her miniature crash landing, she didn’t move. She didn’t know if she could.

Do I run? Do I pretend I never heard any of it and go for a more subtle escape? Or do I confront him? Or—

Her tumble of frightened thoughts stopped short as a new sound carried to her ears. It was the crash of a man, pushing through the bushes. Rush was headed her way.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the fourth and final installment in my Undercover Justice series. I’m so excited to bring you the elusive Detective Rush Atkinson. Not that I like to play favorites, but I do have a soft spot for this particular hero. He once told his brothers-in-arms that if it weren’t for the fact that he was seeking justice for his slain father, he might’ve slipped onto the wrong side of the law. And I love this about him.

Rush is rough. He’s gruff. He’s definitely not an easy man, and he’s not going to be tamed. Not even by love. But that’s one of the things that makes Alessandra so perfect for him. She’s a free spirit. And I hope you think they’re as tingly, meant to be as I do!

Happy reading,

Melinda

To all those who love a bad boy with a good heart.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Dedication

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

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Epilogue

About the Publisher

Detective Rush Atkinson was sure of two things. One. Someone was following him. And two. They were going to be sorry.

Gritting his teeth, he stepped a little harder on the gas. The Lada protested immediately. The lumbering old vehicle—built in 1972 and seemingly held together by sheer willpower alone—had a strong preference for moving at a slow and steady pace. It was good on the back roads and got the job done, and it usually suited Rush just fine. Of course, he wasn’t usually being stalked up a mountain road. If he’d thought that was even the vaguest possibility, he would’ve grabbed his second-favorite vehicle. A monster of a motorcycle that he’d pieced together with his own two hands. A source of pride.

“A source of speed, too,” he muttered as he took another quick glance in the rearview mirror.