Elisabeth Rees - Innocent Target

Title Page Innocent Target Elisabeth Rees www.millsandboon.co.uk

Copyright ISBN: 978-1-474-09497-9 INNOCENT TARGET © 2019 Elisabeth Rees 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

Introduction Her heart thudded in her chest as she waited for something to happen. The first gunshot caused her to jump. As the shots intensified, she heard shouting. She recognized Ryan’s rich, deep voice ordering someone to lay down a weapon. Kitty moved toward the broken window and peered out. The bullet that flew past her head came so close that it created a breeze and she screamed, dropping to the floor again. The bullets wouldn’t stop coming. She stood and ran into the hallway, intending to gain a better vantage point upstairs, but pain sliced into her leg like a bee sting, and she fell to the floor. The gunshots gradually ceased. “Kitty,” Ryan yelled into the house. “Where are you?” “I’m here.” He appeared at her side. “My leg,” she said. “Something hit my leg.” He inspected her right thigh, where blood was trickling. “A bullet grazed you,” he said. “It’s not serious.” “When will it be over?” she cried. “Soon. We’ll get through this, Kitty,” he said soothingly. “I promise.” As much as she wanted to believe his promises, she wasn’t sure she could. Only time would tell.

Dear Reader Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Introduction Dear Reader Bible Verse Dedication ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN TWELVE EPILOGUE Extract About the Publisher , Thank you for choosing to read Innocent Target . I hope you enjoyed the story. Kitty is a heroine whom I admire greatly. She stands alone, defying her critics and remaining strong in the face of adversity. We could all take a lesson from Kitty and fight for those who are oppressed, imprisoned or written off as unworthy. God has given us a voice. We should use it to defend the weak, even if others do not always agree with our stance. Initially, Kitty and Ryan had a conflict that could not be overcome. But as soon as Ryan softened his heart and let go of his preconceptions, he was able to see Kitty’s father as a man rather than a monster. It was satisfying to see him grow in faith and compassion through the story. I look forward to welcoming you as a reader again. Blessings, Elisabeth Rees

Bible Verse And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. —John 1:5

Dedication For Shana and Jack Asaro and baby Natalie, with a wish that many blessings are bestowed upon their newly grown family.

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Extract

About the Publisher

The air inside the house was heavy and moist, the result of an unseasonably warm day in an Oklahoma winter that was likely to result in a thunderstorm. In the living room of her home, Kitty Linklater wiped her brow with a cool cloth, holding it to her temple and sighing. She’d worked up a sweat after sitting at her computer for almost five hours, writing her latest article for the county newspaper, the Comanche Times . She read the headline aloud: “‘Bethesda Man Challenges His Murder Conviction.’” Hovering her finger over the send button, she hesitated, knowing that the article was controversial, likely to enrage the townsfolk and increase her unpopularity.

But Kitty was no stranger to controversy or unpopularity. For twelve months, she had been investigating the murder of a local teenage girl, found at the side of the road two years previously, her body callously burned to destroy evidence. The small town of Bethesda had reeled from the brutality of it and the residents breathed a collective sigh of relief when a man was arrested, tried and convicted of the crime. Kitty was the only person to feel devastated, because that convicted man was her beloved father, Harry, and she was now utilizing her skills as a freelance investigative journalist to try to prove his innocence. She had initially placed her faith in the justice system, hoping that the truth would win the day, but after the verdict was announced, she knew she had to begin her own investigation.

Her cell phone rang in her pocket, shrill and sharp, causing her black cat, Shadow, to jump from her lap. He ran from the room indignantly, swishing his tail.

She pulled the cell from her jeans. “Hello.”

“Hey, Kitty.” The voice belonged to Sarah Willis, editor of the Comanche Times . “You’re late on your deadline.”

Kitty was given a weekly slot in the paper, trusted by Sarah to fill it with a mix of investigative coverings and opinion pieces on the most interesting and significant stories in the county.

“It’s done,” she said. “I’m about to send it to you now.”

“What is it? Please tell me you’ve moved on from the Bethesda murder.”

“I wrote another piece about my father being wrongfully accused.” She ignored the groan on the other end of the line. “It’s an important story. I have to cover it.”

“No, you don’t, Kitty,” Sarah said strongly. “This is the third time you’ve subbed a piece about your father. It’s not right. You can’t continue to use the paper to push your own agenda.”

“I know it looks bad, but this could be a huge story. I uncovered some new evidence that supports my dad’s claim of innocence.”

“You did?”

“I managed to track down a guy who was in the Starlight Bar on the night of the murder. You remember that’s where my father spent the entire evening when the girl was murdered?”

“And he spent the entire evening there because he’s an alcoholic, right?”

“That’s not relevant,” she retorted. She was sick of people judging her father because of his addiction. “The guy from the bar says he definitely saw my dad there and he’s willing to go on record as a witness.”