Kara Lennox - Bounty Hunter Ransom

“The money had nothing to do with it,” Beau said, his voice dangerously soft. “I brought him in because he was my friend.”

“You don’t shoot friends in the leg. You should have let him go.”

“He’d never have gotten away, Aubrey. And if the wrong cop had found him, he’d have been dead.” Beau literally had to bite his tongue to keep his temper from boiling over. He knew Aubrey would never believe her precious older brother, half-insane with desperation, had fired the first shot.

“You’ve already made up your mind about me. I’m the bad guy. Nothing I could say would change your opinion, so why bother?” He suddenly realized he was on his feet.

Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at him. “Because I don’t want you to be the bad guy.”

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

We’ve got an intoxicating lineup crackling with passion and peril that’s guaranteed to lure you to Harlequin Intrigue this month!

Danger and desire abound in As Darkness Fell—the first of two installments in Joanna Wayne’s HIDDEN PASSIONS: Full Moon Madness companion series. In this stark, seductive tale, a rugged detective will go to extreme lengths to safeguard a feisty reporter who is the object of a killer’s obsession. Then temptation and terror go hand in hand in Lone Rider Bodyguard when Harper Allen launches her brand-new miniseries, MEN OF THE DOUBLE B RANCH.

Will revenge give way to sweet salvation in Undercover Avenger by Rita Herron? Find out in the ongoing NIGHTHAWK ISLAND series. If you’re searching high and low for a thrilling romantic suspense tale that will also satisfy your craving for adventure—you’ll be positively riveted by Bounty Hunter Ransom from Kara Lennox’s CODE OF THE COBRA.

Just when you thought it was safe to sleep with the lights off…Guardian of her Heart by Linda O. Johnston—the latest offering in our BACHELORS AT LARGE promotion—will send shivers down your spine. And don’t let down your guard quite yet. Lisa Childs caps off a month of spine-tingling suspense with a gripping thriller about a madman bent on revenge in Bridal Reconnaissance. You won’t want to miss this unforgettable debut of our new DEAD BOLT promotion.

Here’s hoping these smoldering Harlequin Intrigue novels will inspire some romantic dreams of your own this Valentine’s Day!

Enjoy,

Denise O’Sullivan

Senior Editor

Harlequin Intrigue

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Texas native Kara Lennox has been an art director, typesetter, textbook editor and reporter. She’s worked in a boutique, a health club and an ad agency. She’s been an antiques dealer and even a blackjack dealer. But no work has made her happier than writing romance novels.

When not writing, Kara indulges in an ever-changing array of weird hobbies. (Her latest passions are treasure hunting and creating mosaics.) She loves to hear from readers. You can visit her Web site and drop her a note at www.karalennox.com.

Aubrey Schuyler—Even after she is assaulted, the police won’t take her fears for her missing cousin seriously. She’s forced to turn to childhood friend Beau Maddox—the man who shot her brother and sent him to prison.

Beau Maddox—Ex-cop, bounty hunter, Beau believes he might redeem himself in Aubrey’s eyes if he can bring baby Sara home safe.

Patti Clarendon—Aubrey’s flighty cousin has a history of drug addiction. So when she disappears with her baby, Aubrey knows she’s in trouble.

Sara Clarendon—Patti’s six-month-old daughter.

David Clarendon—Aubrey’s cousin vows to move heaven and earth to bring his sister and niece home unharmed.

Wayne Clarendon—Aubrey’s millionaire uncle is dying of cancer. But he’s not so ill that he can’t offer a million-dollar reward for the granddaughter he’s seen only once.

Lyle Palmer—The incompetent detective sees this case as his chance to get his name in the paper.

Greg Holmes—The crooked insurance agent is Patti’s boss, and it’s rumored they were having an affair. How far would he go to protect his secrets?

Summer Deetz—She works with Patti at the insurance agency, and she sure acts as if she’s got something to hide.

Cory Silvan—Bartender at the alternative nightclub where Patti moonlights, he is also Patti’s drug dealer.

Charlie Soffit—Baby Sara’s father is a rough-looking, hard-drinking biker with whom Patti had a rocky relationship.

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

“Just please hurry home. I need you real bad.”

Aubrey Schuyler stared at her cell phone. What now? Ever since her cousin Patti had come to live with Aubrey, life had been full of surprises, most of them unpleasant. But today was worse than usual. The phone call had interrupted a faculty meeting, and Patti’s voice had sounded desperate.

Aubrey dared not ignore her cousin’s summons, not when a little baby was involved. Patti tried to be a good mother to six-month-old Sara, but, bless her heart, she had the common sense God gave a squirrel.

As Aubrey pulled up to her sturdy, prairie-style home, she noted that Patti’s battered Escort wasn’t in the driveway. Why on earth would her cousin call Aubrey home, then leave before she arrived? Had the car been stolen? Was that the big crisis?

Aubrey’s bare legs stuck to the vinyl seat as she exited her Jeep Wrangler, and the back of her pale blue T-shirt was damp. She pulled her heavy mass of curly auburn hair off her neck for a few moments, hoping in vain for a slight breeze. But there was none. She dropped her hair, grabbed her keys and headed resolutely for the front door.

It turned out a key wasn’t necessary. Patti had left the front door unlocked again, though Aubrey had asked her many times to be more careful. Payton, Texas, wasn’t the safe little burg it had been during their childhood. The university where Aubrey taught chemistry had grown quickly over the last decade, and the town’s population had exploded.

Aubrey pushed the front door open. “Patti?”

No answer. She headed upstairs and into Patti’s bedroom, which was in its usual state of disarray. Drawers were half-open, clothing strewn over the unmade bed.

Aubrey peeked into the nursery. Sara’s car seat was gone.

Had Aubrey misunderstood the call? As she pondered the puzzle a crawling sensation wiggled up her spine. Something was wrong. Was it an item out of place? A strange odor in the air?

She scarcely had time to think about getting out of the house when the closet door behind her burst open and someone grabbed her with an arm around the neck. She screamed and kicked as panic took over. But her assailant was strong, abetted by his own burst of adrenaline. The arm wedged around her neck was hard and unyielding. She kicked backward, but her attacker avoided the worst of her blows, not that her sneakers would do much damage anyway. His other arm was wrapped around her body, pinning her arms to her sides. He was not a large man, but he knew how to fight. He smelled of unwashed male.

The man was trying to drag her out of the nursery—but to where? Aubrey thought frantically back to a self-defense course she’d taken at the University years ago. Use whatever you have at hand as a weapon. Keys, fingernails, teeth.