Cindi Myers - Phd Protector

Calculating the odds on their fate isn’t exactly rocket science…

Nuclear physicist Mark Renfro will do anything to keep his daughter safe, including building a “suitcase nuke” for the radical group that killed his wife. Imprisoned alone in a makeshift lab, Mark has all but given up hope of seeing his daughter again. Until his captors provide an assistant—the beautiful stepdaughter of the terrorist leader.

Angry and defiant, Erin Daniels has no intention of assisting anyone—including a gorgeous scientist. That is, until a time bomb is strapped around her neck. They have one week to finish…or Erin dies. Mark knows he’s Erin’s only hope for survival. And she’s his only hope for a future.

The Men of Search Team Seven

He brushed his fingers along the sides of the collar, the hot flutter of Erin’s pulse beneath his fingertips sending a jolt of awareness through him.

The contrast of her silken flesh with the unyielding metal collar made her seem all the more fragile and out of place here—like finding a lily blooming in the middle of a minefield.

“Can you cut it off?” she asked.

“I don’t think we can risk it,” he said. “It looks as if there are wires embedded in the metal and running all the way around. My guess is if we sever one of those the bomb would go off.”

She swallowed hard, her eyes as big and dark as a terrified deer’s. “What are we going to do?”

He looked away, at the lab equipment arranged neatly on the workbench, at the sparse furnishings and barred windows of the place that had been his prison for the past twelve months. “We need to get out of here,” he said.

PHD Protector

Cindi Myers

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CINDI MYERS is the author of more than fifty novels. When she’s not crafting new romance plots, she enjoys skiing, gardening, cooking, crafting and daydreaming. A lover of small-town life, she lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in the Colorado mountains.

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CAST OF CHARACTERS

Mark Renfro—This top nuclear physicist disappeared almost a year ago and was believed dead. Kidnapped by terrorists, he must pretend to cooperate with them in order to protect his daughter. How can he escape his captors and defeat their plan to detonate a nuclear bomb?

Erin Daniels—The stepdaughter of a terrorist leader wants nothing to do with the group’s evil plans, and balks at her stepfather’s plans for her to assist his “pet scientist” in building the suitcase nuke he needs. But that scientist is nothing like the man she suspected he’d be, and working with him gives her hope of finding a way out of her messed-up life.

Duane Braeswood—The billionaire terrorist leader believes he can build a better world by first destroying it. He will use anyone and anything to achieve his goals.

Special Agent Luke Renfro—Mark’s twin brother, part of the FBI’s Search Team Seven, has never stopped looking for his missing brother. He refuses to believe Mark is a terrorist, but can he find him before it’s too late?

Mandy Renfro—The five-year old hasn’t seen her father in a year, but she never stopped hoping for his return.

For Vicki and Mike

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Calculating the odds on their fate isn’t exactly rocket science… Nuclear physicist Mark Renfro will do anything to keep his daughter safe, including building a “suitcase nuke” for the radical group that killed his wife. Imprisoned alone in a makeshift lab, Mark has all but given up hope of seeing his daughter again. Until his captors provide an assistant—the beautiful stepdaughter of the terrorist leader. Angry and defiant, Erin Daniels has no intention of assisting anyone—including a gorgeous scientist. That is, until a time bomb is strapped around her neck. They have one week to finish…or Erin dies. Mark knows he’s Erin’s only hope for survival. And she’s his only hope for a future. The Men of Search Team Seven

Introduction He brushed his fingers along the sides of the collar, the hot flutter of Erin’s pulse beneath his fingertips sending a jolt of awareness through him. The contrast of her silken flesh with the unyielding metal collar made her seem all the more fragile and out of place here—like finding a lily blooming in the middle of a minefield. “Can you cut it off?” she asked. “I don’t think we can risk it,” he said. “It looks as if there are wires embedded in the metal and running all the way around. My guess is if we sever one of those the bomb would go off.” She swallowed hard, her eyes as big and dark as a terrified deer’s. “What are we going to do?” He looked away, at the lab equipment arranged neatly on the workbench, at the sparse furnishings and barred windows of the place that had been his prison for the past twelve months. “We need to get out of here,” he said.

Title Page PHD Protector Cindi Myers www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author CINDI MYERS is the author of more than fifty novels. When she’s not crafting new romance plots, she enjoys skiing, gardening, cooking, crafting and daydreaming. A lover of small-town life, she lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in the Colorado mountains.

Cast of Characters CAST OF CHARACTERS Mark Renfro—This top nuclear physicist disappeared almost a year ago and was believed dead. Kidnapped by terrorists, he must pretend to cooperate with them in order to protect his daughter. How can he escape his captors and defeat their plan to detonate a nuclear bomb? Erin Daniels—The stepdaughter of a terrorist leader wants nothing to do with the group’s evil plans, and balks at her stepfather’s plans for her to assist his “pet scientist” in building the suitcase nuke he needs. But that scientist is nothing like the man she suspected he’d be, and working with him gives her hope of finding a way out of her messed-up life. Duane Braeswood—The billionaire terrorist leader believes he can build a better world by first destroying it. He will use anyone and anything to achieve his goals. Special Agent Luke Renfro—Mark’s twin brother, part of the FBI’s Search Team Seven, has never stopped looking for his missing brother. He refuses to believe Mark is a terrorist, but can he find him before it’s too late? Mandy Renfro—The five-year old hasn’t seen her father in a year, but she never stopped hoping for his return.

Dedication For Vicki and Mike

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

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

What’s the worst thing you would do to protect the ones you love? Would you lie—steal—even kill?

It was a question from a party game, the kind you played over beers with a bunch of buddies, the answers all alcohol-fueled machismo, backed by the knowledge that you would never really have to make those kinds of choices.