Maggie Black - Kidnapped At Christmas

HER HOLIDAY BODYGUARD

When journalist Samantha Colt finds herself tied up and dumped on a landmine outside her boss’s country house, she has no memory of how she got there. And her only clue is an ominous note warning her to quit before it’s too late. Fortunately, the quick-witted soldier who’s house-sitting for her boss rescues her…and agrees to become her bodyguard until the danger ends. Joshua Rhodes might be protecting Sam as a favor, but the spark that immediately sizzles between him and the determined, lovely reporter can’t be denied. If the puzzled pair can’t swiftly outsmart Samantha’s tormentors, though, their brimming holiday romance will be snuffed out…along with Samantha’s life.

“Do you think something bad will happen if I move you?”

Yes.

“Will somebody attack us? Like there’s somebody nearby lying in wait?”

No.

“How about a booby trap?”

Yes. Her eyes cut to the floorboards hoping he’d understand.

“Underneath you? Like a pressure-sensitive device?”

Yes! She nodded her head.

“Well, then, I get why you’re so twitchy.” He set the gun down, reached into his back pocket and pulled out his knife. “It looks like you can move your head freely without setting it off. So now that I know what’s going on, I’m thinking that if I’m really slow and careful I can probably cut off your gag and then you can tell me exactly what we’re dealing with, okay?”

Yes, but—

She took a breath and then nodded.

“Okay,” he said. “Let’s do this.”

MAGGIE K. BLACK is an award-winning journalist and romantic suspense author with an insatiable love of traveling the world. She has lived in the American South, Europe and the Middle East. She now makes her home in Canada with her history teacher husband, their two beautiful girls and a small but mighty dog. Maggie enjoys connecting with her readers at maggiekblack.com.

Kidnapped at Christmas

Maggie K. Black

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Say to those with fearful hearts,

“Be strong, do not fear; your God will come.”

—Isaiah 35:4a

Thanks to Roz for giving me a safe place to hide and write. Thanks to Sunny for the puzzle-piece metaphor. You are remarkable women, and you both inspire me.

Also, thank you, Bethany, for lending me your very special headphones when mine broke, so that I didn’t have to write the suspenseful kidnap scene while listening to “Under the Mango Tree.” You are very awesome and I love you.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text HER HOLIDAY BODYGUARD When journalist Samantha Colt finds herself tied up and dumped on a landmine outside her boss’s country house, she has no memory of how she got there. And her only clue is an ominous note warning her to quit before it’s too late. Fortunately, the quick-witted soldier who’s house-sitting for her boss rescues her…and agrees to become her bodyguard until the danger ends. Joshua Rhodes might be protecting Sam as a favor, but the spark that immediately sizzles between him and the determined, lovely reporter can’t be denied. If the puzzled pair can’t swiftly outsmart Samantha’s tormentors, though, their brimming holiday romance will be snuffed out…along with Samantha’s life.

Introduction “Do you think something bad will happen if I move you?” Yes. “Will somebody attack us? Like there’s somebody nearby lying in wait?” No. “How about a booby trap?” Yes. Her eyes cut to the floorboards hoping he’d understand. “Underneath you? Like a pressure-sensitive device?” Yes! She nodded her head. “Well, then, I get why you’re so twitchy.” He set the gun down, reached into his back pocket and pulled out his knife. “It looks like you can move your head freely without setting it off. So now that I know what’s going on, I’m thinking that if I’m really slow and careful I can probably cut off your gag and then you can tell me exactly what we’re dealing with, okay?” Yes, but— She took a breath and then nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s do this.”

About the Author MAGGIE K. BLACK is an award-winning journalist and romantic suspense author with an insatiable love of traveling the world. She has lived in the American South, Europe and the Middle East. She now makes her home in Canada with her history teacher husband, their two beautiful girls and a small but mighty dog. Maggie enjoys connecting with her readers at maggiekblack.com .

Title Page Kidnapped at Christmas Maggie K. Black www.millsandboon.co.uk

Bible Verse Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come.” —Isaiah 35:4a

Dedication Thanks to Roz for giving me a safe place to hide and write. Thanks to Sunny for the puzzle-piece metaphor. You are remarkable women, and you both inspire me. Also, thank you, Bethany, for lending me your very special headphones when mine broke, so that I didn’t have to write the suspenseful kidnap scene while listening to “Under the Mango Tree.” You are very awesome and I love you.

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

EPILOGUE

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

ONE

A fierce, biting cold that seemed to dig right into her skin was the first thing journalist Samantha Colt felt as her groggy brain swam back into consciousness.

The second was the sharp tip of the knife pressed against her throat.

“Don’t move.” The voice was coarse, male and contained more than a hint of a threat.

She froze. She was lying on her back and couldn’t move her arms or legs. The metal floor of some kind of vehicle vibrated beneath her. The shriek of December wind rose above the rough sound of the engine. A gag filled her mouth. She opened her eyes and saw nothing but a blindfold.

I’ve been kidnapped.

The thought hit her like a jolt. But who’d kidnapped her? How had they grabbed her? What could they possibly want?

She had no idea.

Help me, Lord! she prayed.

She closed her eyes again and struggled to piece together the strands of what she could remember. It had been quarter after five in the morning when she’d left her small one-bedroom apartment on the top floor of a converted house in downtown Toronto. There’d been new flyers plastering the staircases. Bright blue this time, with dire warnings from her landlady Yvonne about the dangers of both trespassers and raccoons. The streets were dark. The world was frozen. She’d slipped through the icy back alleys toward the Torchlight News office. She’d buried her hands in the pockets of her vintage wool overcoat, feeling for her gloves before realizing she’d left them behind. And then?

She wasn’t wearing her coat now.

How long ago was I kidnapped? Did I even make it to work?

With Christmas only two days away, the newspaper’s office was already closed for the holidays. But she was the newspaper’s main fact-checker. She was never really off. Last night her laptop had refused to load, so she’d headed into the office this morning to grab a backup tablet so that she’d have something to work on—because a good story waited for no one.

Samantha had singlehandedly created and updated the paper’s research database—nicknamed ATHENA, because “Aggregated Torchlight Hub for Enforcement and News Analysis” was a mouthful. Not that she ever got the glory. Or wanted it, for that matter. Samantha was a desk jockey. Someone who was quite comfortable working in the shadows, making sure overenthusiastic reporters—and their stories—stayed accurate. It was her job to verify that Torchlight got every fact right, to see the bigger picture and to even catch patterns that others might miss.