Virginia Vaughan - Risky Return

“Stop investigating or you will die.”

A Covert Operatives story

Searching for a missing pregnant foster teen, Rebecca Mason stumbles across a human trafficking ring. Now with criminals determined to silence Rebecca, security specialist Collin Walsh appoints himself her protector. But how can the secret husband who once abandoned her to join the military regain her trust? Collin will do anything to make up for the past...but first he must ensure they survive.

VIRGINIA VAUGHANis a born-and-raised Mississippi girl. She is blessed to come from a large Southern family, and her fondest memories include listening to stories recounted around the dinner table. She was a lover of books from a young age, devouring tales of romance, danger and love. She soon started writing them herself. You can connect with Virginia through her website, virginiavaughanonline.com, or through the publisher.

Also By Virginia Vaughan Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Note to Readers Introduction Dear Reader Bible Verse Dedication ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN EPILOGUE Extract About the Publisher

Covert Operatives

Cold Case Cover-Up

Deadly Christmas Duty

Risky Return

Rangers Under Fire

Yuletide Abduction

Reunion Mission

Ranch Refuge

Mistletoe Reunion Threat

Mission Undercover

Mission: Memory Recall

No Safe Haven

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Risky Return

Virginia Vaughan

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09687-4

RISKY RETURN

© 2019 Virginia Vaughan

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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“Collin, they know all the information I’ve gathered and everyone I’ve spoken with,” Rebecca whispered.

Collin’s gut clenched as a text confirmed what he’d suspected. Rebecca’s car had been inventoried as part of gathering evidence at the crime scene, but her laptop was not there. Was this the work of a dirty cop?

“Your computer was never taken for evidence. It’s gone.” He took Rebecca’s arm. “We should go. You can recount whatever you remember to the FBI and they can pick up the trail you started.”

The sooner they got Rebecca’s witness out of town and to the FBI, the better off they were going to be. If anything happened to her, or all three of them, the trafficking ring would have succeeded in tying up their loose ends and could continue on unscathed.

Collin opened the passenger door for Rebecca. But from the corner of his eye, he spotted a car approaching them, slowing down. The window lowered and the barrel of a gun protruded.

His instincts kicked in and he grabbed Rebecca and threw her to the ground behind the car as gunshots rang out, spraying his car with bullets...

Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Note to Readers Introduction Dear Reader Bible Verse Dedication ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN EPILOGUE Extract About the Publisher ,

Thanks so much for joining me in book three of my Covert Operatives series. I hope you enjoyed Collin and Rebecca’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I love reunion stories and this one was no exception. These two characters fell in love at a very young age, but the pressures of real life tore them apart. This happens all too often these days, but thankfully, we serve a God of second chances. One of my favorite Bible verses is Joel 2:25, where God tells how He will restore to us what the locusts ate. I clung to this verse during a dark time in my life when it seemed all my hopes and plans for the future were ruined. I wondered if life could ever be good again. It was. My past mistakes do not define me and neither do yours because no matter how dark your situation seems right now, we have hope through Jesus Christ. He wants to heal your pains. He wants to rebuild your life.

I love hearing from my readers! You can contact me online through my website www.virginiavaughanonline.comor on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ginvaughanbooks.

Blessings!

Virginia

Thou in thy mercy has led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.

—Exodus 15:13

This book is dedicated to the men and women who serve others unselfishly in all capacities and fields. Thank you for what you do.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text “Stop investigating or you will die.” A Covert Operatives story Searching for a missing pregnant foster teen, Rebecca Mason stumbles across a human trafficking ring. Now with criminals determined to silence Rebecca, security specialist Collin Walsh appoints himself her protector. But how can the secret husband who once abandoned her to join the military regain her trust? Collin will do anything to make up for the past...but first he must ensure they survive.