Melinda Di Lorenzo - Undercover Protector

He lives by the law.

She’s dodging death at every turn.

Craving closure from the blaze that took her father and her memory, Nadine Stuart returns home hoping to find peace. But the nightmare begins and the only thing that saves her from being pulled into the inferno is Anderson Somers’s determination to protect her. The undercover detective’s hot on the heels of a killer—and every instinct insists Nadine will be the next victim.

Amazon bestselling author MELINDA DI LORENZOwrites in her spare time—at soccer practices, when she should be doing laundry and in place of sleep. She lives on the beautiful west coast of British Columbia, Canada, with her handsome husband and her noisy kids. When she’s not writing, she can be found curled up with (someone else’s) good book.

Also by Melinda Di Lorenzo

Undercover Justice

Captivating Witness

Undercover Protector

Worth the Risk

Last Chance Hero

Silent Rescue

Trusting a Stranger

Deceptions and Desires

Pinups and Possibilities

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Undercover Protector

Melinda Di Lorenzo

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07863-4

UNDERCOVER PROTECTOR

© 2018 Melinda Di Lorenzo

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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To those who have overcome, and to those who are still fighting the battle.

A heartbeat later, Anderson was standing inside the supposedly secure staff lounge, his eyes on the glass door at the rear of the room.

Through it, he could see just what he needed to.

Nadine Stuart.

She was planted on the edge of the sidewalk in the taxi zone, her head down, her cell phone pressed to her ear. Anderson walked toward the door, watching as she hung up, stuck the phone into her bag, then fixed her eyes straight ahead. When she started to cross the narrow strip of pavement in front of her—presumably toward the bench she had in her sights—a navy-colored car on the same side of the road started to move, too. First at a crawl. Then a little faster.

Worry hit Anderson like a truck.

He threw himself against the door, slamming it open so hard that he half expected it to shatter or at least crack. He wrapped his arms around Nadine’s waist. And he pulled her out of sight and just before the navy car screeched through the spot where she’d just been standing.

* * *

Undercover Justice: Four brothers-in-arms on a mission for justice...

* * *

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Dear Reader,

One of my favorite parts about being a writer is being able to create characters with rich background stories. When a hero and heroine hit the first page, they’ve already had a lifetime of experiences—some heartache and tragedy, uplifting times, and memorable events. It’s this lifetime that’s made them into the woman or man you find between the chapters, and oftentimes, as an author, it’s my job to layer those stories. Though the pivotal moments are still to come, it’s important to know how they got there, even when every birthday cake or skinned knee isn’t explained.

In Undercover Protector (book two of the Undercover Justice series) Nadine Stuart is one of those characters whose background I thought a lot about. We’re introduced to Nadine in book one, and she’s definitely a prickly pear with a troubled past. But in spite of that exterior, we also know she has a soft side because she’s a well-liked third-grade teacher. Thankfully, our hero, Detective Anderson Somers, is willing to take the time to peel back her layers. He’s as kind and patient as he is protective. He knows a thing or two about loss, too.

I hope you love the many facets of these two characters as much as I do!

Happy reading,

Melinda Di Lorenzo

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Introduction

Dear Reader

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Epilogue

Extract

Chapter 1

All around Nadine Stuart, thick, black smoke pressed in. The scent of charred wood and plastic mingled in the air, making her choke. She could hear voices, too, and even if she couldn’t work out what they were saying, she knew they were urging her to run. But her feet were leaden, her mind sluggish. And the longer she stood still, the less motivated she felt to move.

It’s the lack of oxygen.

The thought made sense, but its cool logic seemed out of place in the chaos.

She drew in a breath and willed herself to go. To move. Before it was too late. But the only thing that sped up was her heart in her chest. It thundered so hard that it hurt. Above her head, a dangerous crack resounded, and she knew if she looked up, the ceiling would be crashing down.