Rebecca York - Undercover Encounter

“Alex!” Gillian gasped, taking in the reality of the man in a split second, starting with the wavy, jet-black hair and the piercing blue eyes. “You…. What in Sam Hill do you think you’re doing—lying in wait for me?”

He laughed. “I’m giving you an illustration of the dangers you’re going to be facing—if you let your lieutenant talk you into this job.”

“You’ll have to excuse me. I’m late for a training session.”

When she tried to brush past him, he put a restraining hand on her shoulder. “Yeah. It’s already started. I’m your trainer for the afternoon. We’re going to be working together, so we might as well get comfortable with each other.”

Both of them knew there was no way for them to be comfortable with each other. Not with pictures flashing in her mind of the hot and steamy sex they’d enjoyed before he’d ended the relationship. Was he thinking about that, too?

“I thought I was going over self-defense strategies,” she blurted. “This isn’t supposed to be anything sexual.”

He turned to face her. “You are playing the part of a prostitute. So, by its very nature, your assignment has sexual implications. Depending on how things shake out, you and I could easily end up in bed together.”

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

Temperatures are rising this month at Harlequin Intrigue! So whether our mesmerizing men of action are steaming up their love lives or packing heat in high-stakes situations, July’s lineup is guaranteed to sizzle!

Back by popular demand is the newest branch of our Confidential series. Meet the heroes of NEW ORLEANS CONFIDENTIAL—tough undercover operatives who will stop at nothing to rid the streets of a crime ring tied to the most dangerous movers and shakers in town. USA TODAY bestselling author Rebecca York launches the series with Undercover Encounter—a darkly sensual tale about a secret agent who uses every resource at his disposal to get his former flame out alive when she goes deep undercover in the sultry French Quarter.

The highly acclaimed Gayle Wilson returns to the lineup with Sight Unseen. In book three of PHOENIX BROTHERHOOD, it’s a race against time to prevent a powerful terrorist organization from unleashing unspeakable harm. Prepare to become entangled in Velvet Ropes by Patricia Rosemoor—book three in CLUB UNDERCOVER—when a clandestine investigation plunges a couple into danger….

Our sassy inline continuity SHOTGUN SALLYS ends with a bang! You won’t want to miss Lawful Engagement by Linda O. Johnston. In Cassie Miles’s newest Harlequin Intrigue title—Protecting the Innocent—a widow trapped in a labyrinth of evil brings out the Achilles’ heel in a duplicitous man of mystery.

Delores Fossen’s newest thriller is not to be missed. Veiled Intentions arouses searing desires when two bickering cops pose as doting fiancés in their pursuit of a deranged sniper!

Enjoy our explosive lineup this month!

Denise O’Sullivan

Senior Editor, Harlequin Intrigue

USA TODAY Bestselling Author

Ruth Glick Writing As Rebecca York

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Award-winning, bestselling novelist Ruth Glick, who writes as Rebecca York, is the author of close to eighty books, including her popular 43 LIGHT STREET series for Harlequin Intrigue. Ruth says she has the best job in the world. Not only does she get paid for telling stories, she’s also the author of twelve cookbooks. Ruth and her husband, Norman, travel frequently, researching locales for her novels and searching out new dishes for her cookbooks.

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…

Alexander McMullin—He was a tough cop who quit the NOPD. Now he’s working for New Orleans Confidential on a top-secret case.

Gillian Seymour—A rookie cop, she takes a dangerous undercover assignment to clean up the streets of the Big Easy and forms an uneasy alliance with the man from her past.

Wiley Longbottom—The retired director of Colorado Department of Public Safety came to New Orleans to have a good time and ended up close to death.

Conrad Burke—As head of NOC, he’s determined to find out who put Wiley Longbottom in the hospital.

Seth Lewis—A rough-around-the-edges Confidential operative.

Tanner Harrison—This world-weary ex-CIA agent has problems he doesn’t even know about….

Maurice Gaspard—The pimp who cracks the whip at the elegant bordello called the McDonough Club.

Madame Cynthia Dupré—She keeps the working girls in line and the customers satisfied at the McDonough Club.

Jack Smith—This bartender mixes drugs with drinks at Bourbon Street Libations.

Lily—This frightened teenage runaway is “working” at the McDonough Club, but she didn’t volunteer for the job.

Ricardo Gonzalez—Evil to the core, he plans to overthrow the government of Nilia, a South American country.

Jerome Senegal—This ruthless and wealthy New Orleans businessman is in over his head with Gonzalez.

Sebastion Primeaux—Both powerful and corrupt, this district attorney knows how to keep the right people happy.

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

Epilogue

“It’s not your fault,” Alexander McMullin said from the doorway of the hospital room.

Conrad Burke, who was standing by the window with his head bowed, looked up, his countenance a mixture of determination and anger. He was tall, with dark hair and dark eyes—in the prime of his life. A stark contrast to the other occupant of the room who lay in the narrow bed, his eyes closed, his breathing shallow.

The unconscious man had once been slightly rotund. Now his body seemed to have shrunken and his thinning dark hair was plastered to his head.

As Alex stepped across the threshold, Conrad turned to face him squarely, the way he always faced what life threw at him. Yet he couldn’t hide the haunted look in his eyes.

Until a few months ago Conrad had been with the Colorado Confidential operation, run out of the Royal Flush Ranch by Colleen Wellesley. Then he’d been tapped to set up New Orleans Confidential, so he’d moved his wife and twin babies to the city.

One of the first agents recruited for the new branch, Alex was determined to keep Conrad from doing something he’d regret.

His new boss gave him a direct look. “What do you mean, this isn’t my fault?” Conrad gestured toward the unconscious man. “I’m the one who invited Wiley down to New Orleans. I’m the one who took him out for a night on the town. If I’d just left well enough alone, he’d be fine now.”