Amanda Stevens: The Bodyguard's Assignment

He took her wrist and placed the handcuff around it.

He expected her to put up a fight, but instead, she lay back on the bed. He placed a knee on the bed, leaning over her to fasten the other handcuff to the iron railing of the headboard.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I’m only doing this because I can’t trust you not to bolt. I meant what I said earlier. It’s dangerous out there. You can get seriously hurt on this mountain. I can’t allow that to happen.”

“No,” she whispered. “We can’t have you botching an assignment, can we?”

“Stop it, Grace. I know what you’re doing, and it won’t work.”

“Then why are you still here?”

She had a good point. If he had half a brain, he’d move away from her, now, before he remembered the sweetness of her lips, the silkiness of her skin—

Who was he trying to kid? He didn’t have to remember, because he’d never forgotten anything about Grace’s lovemaking. The way she kissed. The way she touched him. The way she moved against him…

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

Harlequin Intrigue has such an amazing selection this month, you won’t be able to choose—so indulge and buy all four titles!

We’re proud to present an exciting new multi-author miniseries, TEXAS CONFIDENTIAL. By day they’re cowboys; by night they’re specialized government operatives. Men bound by love, loyalty and the law—they’ve vowed to keep their missions and identities confidential.…Amanda Stevens kicks off the series with The Bodyguard’s Assignment (#581).

Ruth Glick writing as Rebecca York has added another outstanding 43 LIGHT STREET story to her credits with Amanda’s Child (#582). When sexy Matt Forester kidnapped Amanda Barnwell from her Wyoming ranch, he swore he was only protecting her. But with her unborn baby’s life at stake, could Amanda trust her alluring captor?

We’re thrilled to bring you Safe By His Side (#583) by brand-new author Debra Webb. This SECRET IDENTITY story is her first ever Intrigue and we’re sure you’ll love it and her as much as we do. Debra has created The Colby Agency—for the most private of investigations—and agent Jack Raine—a man to die for!

In Undercover Protector (#584) by Cassie Miles, policewoman Annie Callahan’s engagement to Michael Slade wasn’t going to lead to the altar. Michael’s job was to protect Annie from a deadly stalker. But nothing would protect Michael from heartbreak if he failed.…

Sincerely,

Denise O’Sullivan

Associate Senior Editor

Harlequin Intrigue

The Bodyguard’s Assignment

Amanda Stevens

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Stevens has written over twenty novels of romantic suspense. Her books have appeared on several bestseller lists, and she has won Reviewer’s Choice and Career Achievement in Romantic/Mystery awards from Romantic Times Magazine. She resides in Cypress, Texas, with her husband, her son and daughter and their two cats.

Books by Amanda Stevens

HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE

373—STRANGER IN PARADISE

388—A BABY’S CRY

397—A MAN OF SECRETS

430—THE SECOND MRS. MALONE

453—THE HERO’S SON *

458—THE BROTHER’S WIFE *

462—THE LONG-LOST HEIR *

489—SOMEBODY’S BABY

511—LOVER, STRANGER

549—THE LITTLEST WITNESS **

553—SECRET ADMIRER **

557—FORBIDDEN LOVER **

581—THE BODYGUARD’S ASSIGNMENT

HARLEQUIN BOOKS

2-in-1 Harlequin 50 thAnniversary Collection

HER SECRET PAST

The Confidential Agent’s Pledge

I hereby swear to uphold the law

to the best of my ability; to maintain the

level of integrity of this agency by my

compassion for victims, loyalty to my

brothers and courage under fire.

And above all, to hold all information and

identities in the strictest confidence….

Brady Morgan—An agent for the elite Texas Confidential. His assignment is to protect Grace Drummond at any cost—but can he save her life without compromising his heart?

Grace Drummond—She’s running for her life, and the only person who can save her is the man she once betrayed.

Lester Kane—A Dallas drug dealer, he murdered a man in cold blood, and now he will stop at nothing to eliminate the witnesses.

Stephen Rialto—A ruthless businessman pursued by Texas Confidential, he has ties to the Calderone drug cartel.

Helen Parks—Grace’s best friend, she warned Grace not to go after a story connecting Lester Kane to Calderone.

Burt Gordon—Grace’s boss at the newspaper. Would he sell her out for the sake of a story?

John Kruger—A Department of Public Safety agent who is working closely with Texas Confidential on this case.

Mitchell Forbes—The head of operations of Texas Confidential.

Angeline Drummond—Grace’s ailing mother has become an innocent pawn in a very dangerous game.

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

“I can’t believe you’re going through with this. Do you know what those people will do if they catch you? They’re killers, Grace. Vicious, cold-blooded murderers.”

Her friend’s warning echoed inside Grace Drummond’s head as she tried to settle into a more comfortable position behind the giant pallets of carpet rolls. The fibers made her want to sneeze, and even though she was alone in the warehouse, she pinched her nose painfully until the urge passed.

She pressed the button on her watch to light the dial and noted the time. One forty-three. According to her contact inside Lester Kane’s operation, the meeting between Kane and a representative from Rialto Industries was set for 2:00 a.m., a time when most people would be home sleeping. Grace had seventeen minutes, less than half an hour, to hightail it out of there, but she knew she wasn’t going to run. As a reporter for the Dallas Examiner, she’d been in hairy situations before. This one was no different from a dozen others.

Right.

“Don’t you remember what happened to those DEA agents who came up against the Calderone drug cartel down in Mexico? They cut out their eyes and gave them to the local witch doctor. I shudder to think what they did with the rest of them.”

Grace didn’t need Helen Parks’s graphic reminder to know she was walking a fine line between bravery and stupidity. If she got the story, she’d be able to prove Lester Kane’s connection to Rialto Industries, a Houston-based oil company with secret ties to the Calderone drug cartel in Mexico. Calderone’s entire Gulf Coast operation could be jeopardized because once Grace got the goods on Kane, he’d cooperate with the authorities to save his own sleazy hide—if the police could keep him alive long enough.