Kimberly Meter - Soldier For Hire

Framed and fighting for his life...

The first Military Precision Heroes novel

Time is running out for veteran Xander Scott. Falsely labeled a murderer, he has the most dogged woman, Scarlett Rhodes, on his trail. To complicate things, not only is she his former boss, but she’s also his ex-lover. She’s willing to help him uncover this elaborate frame job. If he’s innocent, she’ll clear his name. But Scarlett doesn’t know what Xander is truly guilty of...

KIMBERLY VAN METERwrote her first book at sixteen and finally achieved publication in December 2006. She has written for the Mills & Boon Superromance, Blaze and Romantic Suspense lines. She and her husband of seventeen years have three children, three cats, and always a houseful of friends, family and fun.

Also By Kimberly Van Meter

Military Precision Heroes

Soldier for Hire

The Sniper

The Agent’s Surrender

Moving Target

Deep Cover

The Killer You Know

Family in Paradise

Like One of the Family

Playing the Part

Something to Believe In

The Sinclairs of Alaska

That Reckless Night

A Real Live Hero

A Sinclair Homecoming

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Soldier for Hire

Kimberly Van Meter

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07963-1

SOLDIER FOR HIRE

© 2018 Kimberly Sheetz

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.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

“I told them the truth...” Xander said.

“The truth?”

“Yeah, that I was investigating McQuarry’s death.”

“From what angle?”

“I was vague on that point, but they took the bait without much more needed.”

“Interesting. All right, what time?”

“In an hour with the widow, lunchtime with the mistress.”

Scarlett nodded with approval. “Good. Let’s make it happen. Time is ticking.”

Grabbing her coat, she swung it around her shoulders but was surprised when Xander pulled her close by her lapels.

“What are you doing?” she asked, wary.

“Just reminding you what’s between us,” he answered, brushing his lips against hers, igniting heat with the slow slide of his mouth. She didn’t need reminding. Her mouth opened and his tongue accepted the invitation, dancing with hers. A dangerous fire burned between them but they didn’t have the time to play. It took extreme force of will to break the kiss but she did. Xander released her and she left everything unsaid, choosing to spin on her heel and walk out the door.

Dear Reader,

I love writing stories with incredibly high stakes, impossible situations and intense passion—and, boy, I hit the jackpot with this one!

A word of caution while reading this book: don’t forget to breathe! There were so many times while writing this story that I found myself holding my breath because there was so much happening, and I hope you find it just as exciting as I did.

I love hearing from readers. Connect with me on Facebook or Twitter, or drop me an email. You can also write me a letter at PO Box 2210, Oakdale, CA 95361.

Happy reading!

Kimberly

This book is dedicated to all the hardworking, dedicated women out there making things happen in their universe; those not afraid to be strong, to be leaders, to be role models. We need more of you in the world today as we face an uncertain future.

Strong women: may we know them; may we raise them.

And finally, to my daughter...you are already everything I ever wanted to be, but you’re doing it ten times better and with more grace. I don’t say it enough but I love you more than you’ll ever know.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Dedication

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

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Extract

Extract

About the Publisher

“You know how this is going to end, Xander.”

Xander Scott melted against the wall, clinging to the shadows as his former Red Wolf team leader, Scarlett Rhodes, tried to convince him to come out peacefully, knowing full well that wasn’t going to happen.

Naw, everything had already gone sidewise; Scarlett knew he wasn’t going to go meekly to his own destruction but, hey, he gave her props for tenacity. The woman wasn’t known for her soft and fuzzy side—hell, that was one of the things Xander liked about her—but right about now, he wished Scarlett was a little less rigid so she’d listen to what he was trying to tell her instead of hauling his ass in over some bullshit frame job.

“I didn’t do it, Rhodes,” he said, quickly assessing his position within the abandoned building, stalling for time. Scarlett had found him faster than he’d anticipated, zeroing in on his location like a bloodhound, but he knew her tactics, which was his only saving grace, otherwise she would’ve had him trussed up like a Christmas turkey ready for the table.

Well, that and the fact that while Scarlett played by the rules, Xander didn’t.

“Looking pretty guilty from my end. Innocent people don’t run,” she replied, the sound of her changing position pricking Xander’s ears. “But turn yourself in and we’ll talk about it.”

Xander chuckled grimly. Yeah, we’ll talk about it. Sure. “Think about it, Rhodes. It doesn’t make sense. I’m being framed and you know it.”