Cynthia Eden - Glitter and Gunfire

He was assigned to protect her—not make her his own—in this installment of USA TODAY bestselling author Cynthia Eden’s Shadow Agents series.

Cale Lane had his orders: keep Cassidy Sherridan alive at all costs. But who sent six armed men storming the Rio ballroom to take her out? The gorgeous party girl wasn’t giving it up. Now he had a more urgent mission: uncover Cassidy’s secrets…one by one.

Cassidy didn’t need the former Texas ranger to play hero and blow her cover. Using herself as bait was the first step in bringing a killer to justice. How could she do that with Cale shadowing her every move…and awakening feelings that tempted her to put her life—and heart—on the line?

Cassidy turned toward him, tried to brace herself for the impact of staring right into those blue eyes of his. Her heart beat faster even as sensual awareness spiked through her.

Handsome, definitely, he was. With those strong cheeks, that long blade of a nose and that chiseled jaw, the man certainly would catch the attention of most women. He even had a cleft in his chin, a cleft that softened the roughened danger edge of his features and made him even more appealing. Sexy.

His hand closed around hers as he led her onto the dance floor. Cassidy noticed that there were calluses on his fingers, and he was just so…warm.

She swallowed and held her faint smile in place as they began to dance. She tried to keep some precious distance between them but…

He pulled her even closer.

Glitter and Gunfire

USA TODAY Bestselling Author

Cynthia Eden

www.millsandboon.co.uk

USA TODAY bestselling author CYNTHIA EDENwrites tales of romantic suspense and paranormal romance. Her books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly , and she has received a RITA ®Award nomination for best romantic suspense novel. Cynthia lives in the deep South, loves horror movies and has an addiction to chocolate. More information about Cynthia may be found on her website, www.cynthiaeden.com, or you can follow her on Twitter (www.twitter.com/cynthiaeden).

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CAST OF CHARACTERS

CALE LANE—An ex-army ranger with a dangerous past, Cale isn’t thrilled with his new assignment: guarding a society princess.

CASSIDY SHERRIDAN—Cassidy is determined to unmask a killer, even if she has to risk her own life in the process.

GENEVIEVE CHEVALIER—Cassidy’s best friend, Genevieve is a pawn in a killer’s deadly game. When Genevieve is taken captive, Cassidy will risk everything to save her.

BRUCE MERCER—Bruce Mercer is the director of the EOD, a man used to giving orders.

THE EXECUTIONER—A killer who has been targeting rich debutantes, the “Executioner” has eluded authorities for years. His sights now seem set on Cassidy and Genevieve. But is the Executioner also hiding a second, even deadlier agenda?

GUNNER ORTEZ—Gunner is working as Cale’s backup on the latest mission, and can clearly see the danger that Cale is facing.

LOGAN QUINN­—The team leader of the Shadow Agents, Logan isn’t about to stand back while the lives of other agents are threatened.

Thanks so much to all of my wonderful readers! Your support is amazing!

For Denise and Dana—working with you both is always a pleasure. Thank you, ladies!

And for my husband, Nick—where would I be without you? Thanks for making the last fifteen years a great ride.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Excerpt

Chapter One

Playing babysitter to some rich, overindulged society debutante wasn’t exactly EOD Agent Cale Lane’s idea of a good time.

Give him a dense jungle, the furious blast of gunfire and the adrenaline spike of a deadly mission any day of the week, but stick him in a stuffy ballroom like this—

This too-posh place might as well be hell to him. But, no, it wasn’t hell—it was Carnival. Elaborate decorations streamed from the ceiling in bursts of gold, green and purple. The tables were covered, decked out, and the band played on a stage that shimmered with light.

From his perch near the back wall, Cale shifted slightly in his tux. He was supposed to be blending in with everyone else, and he was trying his best. Blending was normally a specialty for him. He was used to being camouflaged on missions, but most missions weren’t like this one.

Cassidy Sherridan.

His eyes narrowed on the sleek blonde. The far-too-attractive, far-too-tempting Cassidy. He’d been sent down to Rio de Janeiro with the express orders to watch Cassidy.

And that was exactly what he’d been doing for the past five torturous days.

She looked up, then, her dark green eyes catching his gaze on her. For an instant, he thought tension might have tightened her delicate jaw, but then she smiled that slow, flirtatious smile that revealed the dimple in her right cheek.

She started walking toward him. Not that the woman walked so much as glided, and he had to admit she was sexy when she walked. No, Cassidy was sexy—period. The slit in her emerald dress parted, revealing legs that probably could have graced a runway someplace.

Her heels were high, vicious spikes, her dress was strapless, fitting her like a silken glove, and Cassidy...

She’s the mission.

He couldn’t let himself forget that. He hadn’t been swayed by a pretty face before, and he wasn’t going to start losing his cool now.

Cassidy held a champagne flute in one delicate hand. She nodded her head to a few people as she passed by them and said a couple of polite words while keeping her perfect smile in place. Some of the other guests were decked out in their Carnival masks. The celebration was going full swing in Rio. Earlier, Cassidy had even worn a small, delicate eye-mask.

The mask was gone now.

And she was right in front of him.

Still smiling faintly, she said, “You know, it would probably help things considerably if you stopped looking as if you were being tortured as you stood over here.”

He’d been tortured a few times. Memories that he didn’t want to relive, right then.

“It’s a party,” she continued in that husky voice that reminded him too much of dark bedrooms. “Not a prison.”

What would she know of prison? Or torture? Cale cocked a brow and let his gaze sweep over her. Cassidy Sherridan was a mystery to him. A gorgeous, too-fancy mystery. Her blond hair was swept back in a twist, the style accentuating her high cheekbones and those deep green eyes that made him think of things a soldier should not be thinking about.

Her nose was delicate, her chin a little too pointed. Her skin was flawless, golden, and she—

She was trying to distract him.

“Don’t you have admirers to entertain?” he asked, his voice a rough growl, one that was a direct contrast to the softness of Cassidy’s voice.

She laughed lightly. “And here I believed that I was entertaining an admirer. The way you’ve been staring at me all night...actually, for the past few days, it made me think that I did have an admirer in you.” Now it was her turn to study him. Her gaze sharpened. “Why have you been following me?”