Cassie Miles - Protecting the Innocent

Damn it, where was she? He had to find her. When he did, there would be no more lies between them. He’d tell her the truth about everything—about Legate, the surveillance and Jeremy’s death.

Amid the pedestrians on the opposite side of the street, he caught a glimpse of white-blond hair. Anya! He dashed across the street toward her.

Though she appeared to be alone, Roman couldn’t be sure. The CIA might have her under surveillance. And there was always the danger that Legate security was watching.

He should have been more subtle in his approach, but he couldn’t hold back. His instinct was to protect her, to gather her up and take her somewhere safe. He touched her arm, reassuring himself that she was real.

When she gazed at him, her blue eyes were watery and confused. “Roman? What are you doing here?”

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

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Exercise is not a favorite occupation for Denver resident Cassie Miles, but she does try to walk every morning. On one snowy morning, she was “exercising” with a friend in Cherry Creek Mall. They paused to fill out a contest entry form at Neiman Marcus, and her friend won a first-class trip for an afternoon tea at any Neiman Marcus store. They chose San Francisco. This trip provided much of the research for Protecting the Innocent, though neither of these ladies found true love. Room service at the Ritz-Carlton was a great consolation prize.

Roman Alexander—The dashing head administrator at the Legate Corporation think tank leads a dangerous double life.

Anya Bouchard Parrish—After her husband’s death, she seeks the simple pleasures of life. Instead, she finds intrigue and danger.

Charlie Parrish—Anya’s five-year-old son is gifted with genius-level intelligence.

Jeremy Parrish—Anya’s scientist husband died in a suspicious accident. Was it murder?

Fredrick Slater—The head of the Legate Corporation seeks the “greater good” and ignores the consequences.

Dr. Lowell Neville—The company psychiatrist engages in questionable research procedures.

Wade Bouchard—Anya’s idealistic father abandoned the family when she was a child.

Claudette Bouchard—Anya’s brilliant mother is retired from a demanding career as an international consultant.

Jane Coopersmith—The Legate receptionist knows everything about everybody.

To Lesly Pogrew Terrance, a winner.

And, as always, for Rick.

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

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Roman Alexander ran alone on the packed sand of the narrow beach. A patina of morning dew coated the surface of his thermal black running suit and dampened his thick black hair. He picked up the pace, churning through the heavy fog off San Francisco Bay, running harder. Exercise without exertion was useless. To build his strength and stamina, he challenged his physical limits.

Changing stride, he ascended the eighty-seven winding stairs up the cliffside to the grounds of the Legate Corporation. At the top, he hit the asphalt footpath, which was exactly five point eight miles in length.

Across the rolling lawn, he could see the outline of the main headquarters, a sprawling gray stone mansion built more than a hundred and twenty years ago on this prime bay-front real estate south of Oakland. When he first came to work here as chief administrator and vice president, he thought of the mansion as a castle. Legate was his realm—one of the foremost think tanks in the nation. Their motto was For The Greater Good. And Roman had believed it. Years ago. Now, those gray stone walls seemed as ominous as the guard towers of a prison.

At Building Fourteen near the front entrance to the gated grounds, he took a detour, slowed his pace to a jog and entered. This squat, ugly structure—little more than a barracks—had always been intended as a temporary headquarters, and tomorrow the physicists and biochemists who worked here would complete their transfer to a large, state-of-the-art permanent facility nearer the mansion.

The sterile white hallway bisecting Building Fourteen was cluttered with packing crates. Many had already made the move.

Roman shoved open the door to an office beside the biochemistry lab. As he expected, Jeremy Parrish was still here, hard at work. He was a good man, a trusted friend. Sitting behind his desk, he scribbled furiously in a spiral notebook.

“Use the laptop,” Roman said.

“Gotta see it on paper first.” Without looking up, Jeremy kept writing.

“Should I instruct the movers to crate you up and carry you across the grounds?” Roman asked.

With a flourish, Jeremy completed his notation. He seemed ill. His complexion had taken on a sickly pale sheen, like the underbelly of a trout.

“You’re working too hard,” Roman said. “You look like hell.”

“No big deal. There’s some kind of flu floating around the lab.”

It was an incredibly vague comment from a respected scientist with a doctorate in biochemistry, a man who regularly dealt with complex viral and bacterial infections.

“Besides,” Jeremy said, “I want to complete this project fast so I can get back to Denver.”