Lori L. Harris - Taken

He was a stranger. And she didn’t care…

Jillian didn’t care what it took, she was going to get her sister back. She’d lie, steal – do anything she had to. Where was her sister right now? What was happening to her? And what would happen to her – to the other women, too – once the truck reached its destination? As much as Jillian wanted to block out the obvious, she couldn’t.

Halfway down the stairs, her vision blurred. Her chest tightened. She couldn’t breathe. Another few steps and she plopped down hard, tears starting to flow unchecked. She wiped at them with both hands. She couldn’t afford to break down now. Tears didn’t solve a thing.

When warm hands grasped her shoulders, she jerked as if to escape, and then she realised it was Rick. She turned and plunged blindly into his arms. He caught her, his arms closing tightly around her.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lori L Harris has always enjoyed competition. She grew up in southern Ohio, showing Arabian horses and Great Danes. Later she joined a shooting league where she competed head to head with police officers – and would be competing today if she hadn’t discovered how much fun and how challenging it was to write. Romantic suspense seemed a natural fit. What could be more exciting than writing about life-and-death struggles that include sexy, strong men?

When not in front of a computer, Lori enjoys remodelling her home, gardening and boating. Lori lives in Orlando, Florida, with her very own hero.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Jillian Sorensen– After fifteen years away, she’s coming home to Charleston, South Carolina, to confront her past. But one wrong turn on a remote road and Jillian must face something far more terrifying than past demons.

Rick Brady– He has his own agenda, and it’s to find his father’s killer. He’ll use whatever measures are necessary – even the beautiful and tenacious Jillian Sorensen. But in order to do so, he’ll have to get her to trust him first.

Megan Sorensen– Jillian’s adopted sister. Jillian has always fought Megan’s battles for her, so in her darkest hours, Megan trusts Jillian not to let her down.

Jim Brady– Eight years ago, he was the lead investigator for one of Charleston’s most horrific crimes – The Midnight Run Murders. It was the one case that this seasoned detective could never walk away from. Even in retirement.

Debra Wert– She’s the unknown face that will become the task force’s first break. And maybe the killer’s next victim.

Randy Gardner– Who hired him to kill Jillian? And when he died, why did he have Jim Brady’s notebook in his pocket?

Detective Nate Langley– This Charleston County detective has no problem closing cases. But is his most recent one connected to The Midnight Run Murders?

Special Agent Thomas Durwood– He’s one of the FBI’s best field agents. But is he good enough to save Megan Sorensen and the other victims?

Sheriff Ben Tanner– He’s New Carlyle County, Pennsylvania’s sheriff and a family man.

LORI L HARRIS

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Chapter One

Monday, 10:56 p.m .

“So. Are we lost?” Taking her eyes off the dark road, Jillian Sorensen glanced over at her sister.

They’d left Cincinnati at eight that morning amid snow flurries, but as they’d traveled south through North Carolina the temperature had climbed into the lower seventies—balmy by Ohio standards—and they’d lowered the convertible top.

Megan studied the road map a bit too intently. “Well?” Jillian prompted.

“That depends.”

Jillian tried to capture the strand of hair that had worked loose from her ponytail. Taking a deep breath, she spoke again. “Megan? What’s the map say?”

Without looking up, Megan rotated the map beneath the flashlight beam. “Say? Were you expecting it to talk?”

“I figure the chance of it speaking is roughly the same as your being able to read it.”

The beginnings of a frown formed on Megan’s face. “Keep it up…”

“Come on.” Jillian felt her already depleted patience hit rock bottom. “After thirteen hours behind the wheel, I want out of this car for more than the few minutes it takes to eat a meal or fill up the gas tank. Getting lost in a national forest isn’t on my agenda.”

“Then you’re not going to like hearing this.” Megan gave a slight shrug. A bad sign. “We’re on US 17A instead of US 17.”

“How—”

“Doesn’t matter,” Megan cut her off. “It’s no biggie. There should be a shortcut coming up here pretty quickly.” In an effort to read the small print, she held the map closer to her face. “It looks like County Road 45.”

“Looks like?” Jillian slowed. “Show me.”

Just as Megan thrust the map forward, the flashlight flickered and then died. Dropping the map and the light, Megan pointed at the road ahead instead. “There’s a sign. Highway 45. Do you see it on the left?”

Jillian made the turn, but then glanced over at her sister. “You’re absolutely sure about this?”

“Trust me.”

“You said that the last time you got us lost.”

To keep it from being blown away, Megan shoved the folded map down between her seat and the center console. “We weren’t lost.”

“That’s not what you told that military cop when we ended up in a restricted area.”

“That was different.” Megan grinned. “He was really cute. And big, tough military types like defenseless women. I got a date out of it, didn’t I?”

Jillian wordlessly adjusted her hands on the steering wheel as she tried to think of a good comeback. The guy really had been cute, though. And nice.

“Stop worrying.” Megan fumbled with the earbuds for her iPod. “This road takes us back to US 17.” She rested her head against the seat and closed her eyes. “We’ll be in Charleston by midnight. You’ll get plenty of sleep before the big job interview.”

For the briefest of moments, as Jillian glanced over at her adoptive sister, she didn’t see the graceful twenty-one-year-old woman sitting beside her now. Instead she saw the eleven-year-old child Megan had been the year Jillian had gotten her driver’s license. She recalled how Megan’s blond pigtails had bounced in a summer breeze, the way her smile had spread wide, the way her eyes had looked at Jillian with trust and certainty.

Megan had been the first person to trust Jillian, to really trust her. And after nearly seven years in foster care, Jillian had been desperate for approval—even from a child.

The Sorensens, her adopted family, had given Jillian something she’d never expected to have. A sense of safety. Of love. Of being part of something bigger than herself. For the first time in her life, she had felt lucky.

“You’re doing it again.” Opening one eye, Megan looked at Jillian.

“I’m doing what again?”