Emma Darcy - Seducing The Enemy

Let your brother go. He’s dead. And I’m alive. Let your brother go. He’s dead. And I’m alive. There was a ruthless truth in what Annabel Parker had said. The hell of it was he still wanted her. And he’d have her. Why not? She’d handed him the choice of passion with her if he let his passion for truth go. More might come out of it than she planned on giving him. If he walked away he’d be left burning with frustration on every level. A grim laugh graveled from his throat. If nothing else, he’d have a sexual experience worth having. At least he’d be satisfied on that score. They were both booked in for six more days at this resort. Six nights. He’d take them and no more, he decided. He was not about to lose his soul to Annabel Parker. He could be every bit as ruthless as she when it came to self-preservation. About the Author Initially a French/English teacher, EMMA DARCY changed careers to computer programming before marriage and three lively sons settled her into community life. Very much a people person, always interested in relationships, she finds the challenge of creating new stories highly addictive. Her first novel for MIRA Books will be published in October 1997. THE SECRETS WITHIN is Emma Darcy at her most daring. Scandals! Scandals! Have you heard the latest? Get ready for the next outrageous Scandal A VERY PUBLIC AFFAIR (#1912) by Sally Wentworth All will be revealed in October 1997 Don’t miss any of our special offers. Write to us at the following address for information on our newest releases. Harlequin Reader Service U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269 Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3 Title Page Seducing The Enemy Emma Darcy www.millsandboon.co.uk 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 AUTHOR NOTE Copyright

Let your brother go. He’s dead. And I’m alive.

There was a ruthless truth in what Annabel Parker had said.

The hell of it was he still wanted her. And he’d have her. Why not? She’d handed him the choice of passion with her if he let his passion for truth go. More might come out of it than she planned on giving him. If he walked away he’d be left burning with frustration on every level.

A grim laugh graveled from his throat. If nothing else, he’d have a sexual experience worth having. At least he’d be satisfied on that score.

They were both booked in for six more days at this resort. Six nights. He’d take them and no more, he decided. He was not about to lose his soul to Annabel Parker. He could be every bit as ruthless as she when it came to self-preservation.

Initially a French/English teacher, EMMA DARCY changed careers to computer programming before marriage and three lively sons settled her into community life. Very much a people person, always interested in relationships, she finds the challenge of creating new stories highly addictive. Her first novel for MIRA Books will be published in October 1997. THE SECRETS WITHIN is Emma Darcy at her most daring.

Scandals!

Have you heard the latest?

Get ready for the next outrageous Scandal

A VERY PUBLIC AFFAIR (#1912)

by

Sally Wentworth

All will be revealed in October 1997

Don’t miss any of our special offers. Write to us at the following address for information on our newest releases.

Harlequin Reader Service

U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

Seducing The Enemy

Emma Darcy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CHAPTER ONE

HE’S dead.

The thought gave Annabel Parker intense satisfaction as she reread the killing summary of her article for the Australian National. She’d nailed Barry Wolfe to the wall this time. The long-time powerbroker in state politics and current finance minister couldn’t dodge these facts and figures. No need to add another word to what she’d written. Everything pointed directly to him.

Annabel smiled over the headline she’d chosen—“Pattern of Corruption.” There was a purity in patterns that couldn’t be obscured by personalities. The flamboyant and charismatic Barry Wolfe had fooled the public for too many years. The man oozed charm. One flash of his raffish grin and they fell in a heap, believing him, forgiving him, loving him. Accountability was well overdue.

She didn’t have the smoking gun, but the overwhelming bank of circumstantial evidence should land him straight into the courtroom of the commission into corruption. He’d need more than his handsome face and silver tongue to extract himself from that legal body. For one thing, the presiding judge was not a susceptible female.

It would be interesting to see if Daniel Wolfe, Q.C., would step in to defend his brother. The two men were poles apart, one embracing the law, the other holding it in contempt. The famous barrister had made his reputation winning unwinnable cases. It was said he could turn black into white. Nevertheless, Annabel very much doubted that even the highly skilled and formidable Daniel from the Sydney law courts could rescue his brother from the lions and resurrect a political career that was so deeply set in mire.

He’s dead.

Annabel was certain of it.

Having spent months following the money trails of dubious deals, and all this evening making every word count, she felt a sense of completion as she stapled the pages of the final printout together and locked the political dynamite in her filing cabinet.

Working from home had its advantages, but it meant the article would not be handed to her editor until tomorrow. Nevertheless, it was easy to imagine his elation over breaking such a high-ranking scandal. He’d be clearing the decks to use it for maximum impact.

Selling newspapers was not important to Annabel. Getting rid of corruption was. People like Barry Wolfe lined their own pockets while they sold their country down the drain. A complete shake-up was needed in the finance department. Ideally, her article would help to clean up the system of management and put some economic sanity back into the handling of public funding.

She was about to switch off the computer when her desk phone rang. The clock read ten forty-two. The late hour of the call brought an automatic frown, an unease.

Isabel...

Instinct identified her twin sister as the caller even before Annabel lifted the receiver. Her sixth sense picked up trouble, big trouble!

“Anna...” A desperate, frantic cry.

“Yes. What’s the problem, Izzie?” The automatic adoption of their childhood names for each other affirmed the special link that had always been theirs.

“He’s dead!”

The echo of her own thoughts rocked Annabel momentarily.

“He’s dead, and I don’t know what to do.”

Panic coming at her in waves. Annabel steadied her whirling mind. It had to be Isabel’s husband. “Neil?”

“Oh, God! Neil will throw me out. He’ll take our children from me. He’ll never let me see them again.” Hysteria breaking into wild sobbing.

Not Neil. Not family. A victim of a car accident? “Isabel!” She shouted to snap her sister back to the immediate problem. “Who is dead?”

It sobered her. “You’ll despise me.” Fear shaking through the evasion.

“Nonsense! I can’t help you if you don’t give me the facts. Where are you? What’s happened? Who’s dead?”