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Holy Hotness!
Hot military men, Hot heroes in uniform… This summer is already burning up!
Heroes In Uniform: Soldiers, SEALs, Spies, Rangers and Cops: Sexy Hot Contemporary Alpha Heroes from NY Times and USA Today bestselling authors

Heroes In Uniform: Soldiers, SEALs, Spies, Rangers and Cops: Sexy Hot Contemporary Alpha Heroes

by Sharon Hamilton, Cristin Harber, Kaylea Cross, Gennita Low, Caridad Pineiro, Patricia McLinn, Karen Fenech, Dana Marton, Toni Anderson, Lori Ryan, Nina Bruhns

Heroes In Uniform: Soldiers, SEALs, Spies, Rangers and Cops: Sexy Hot Contemporary Alpha Heroes from NY Times and USA Today bestselling authors
On Sale! Everyday price: Over $30 when purchased separately
4.8 stars – 16 Reviews
Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled

Here’s the set-up:

Ten full-length books and one novella from NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Authors

Heroes in Uniform: A multi-author Romantic Suspense and Military Romance boxed set of 11 Sexy Contemporary Alpha Heroes, featuring Soldiers, SEALs, Spies, Agents, Rangers and Cops.

This anthology includes two brand-new, never-before-published stories: a novella from Gennita Low and a full-length novel from Nina Bruhns.
KAYLEA CROSS–Danger Close
PATRICIA MCLINN–At The Heart’s Command
GENNITA LOW–Dangerously Hot
CARIDAD PINEIRO–Sins Of The Flesh
SHARON HAMILTON–Cruisin’ For A SEAL
KAREN FENECH–Snowbound
TONI ANDERSON–Her Last Chance
NINA BRUHNS–Barely Dangerous
DANA MARTON–Deathblow
LORI RYAN–Everlasting
CRISTIN HARBER–Garrison’s Creed

5-star Amazon reviews:

“OMG you talk about a great set of books… This collection has it all, Hot Military men, Hot Heroes In Uniform… All these authors are great, you can never go wrong with these authors….”

An amazing collection of books by some truly talented authors.

*  *  *

Need More Romance in Your Life? We Got Your Fix ;)

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9-in-1 BOXED SET ALERT! Save over $30 for a season’s worth of summer reading! The Naughty Nine: Where Danger and Passion Collide by today’s bestselling romance authors

The Naughty Nine: Where Danger and Passion Collide

by Nina Bruhns, Taylor Lee, Julie Leto, Lorhainne Eckhart, Mary Leo, Patricia Mason, Dana Marton, Rita Herron, Karen Fenech, Jill Sanders
The Naughty Nine: Where Danger and Passion Collide
4.9 stars – 54 Reviews
Everyday Price: $31.91 when purchased separately!
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:

Save over $30 for a season’s worth of summer reading! Nine full-length, action-packed romantic suspense thrillers plus an exclusive BONUS Novella: Secret Identity by Jill Sanders!

Stop in the Name of Love by Nina Bruhns
When an undercover cop must cozy up to a suspect’s pretty neighbor, things don’t go as smoothly–or seductively–as he’d hoped when she tells him she hates cops and wants nothing to do with him or his damn assignment.

Red Rock Rises (The Red Rock Series, Book 1) by Taylor Lee
A fiery former undercover agent, as tough as she is beautiful , fiercely independent, she is the Rock. Few see the vulnerable woman beneath. No one messes with Red Rock until she meets the handsome Police Chief.

Dirty Little Secrets by Julie Leto
Marisela’s sexy ex lures her into a treacherous underworld of arms dealers, hit men & sinister double-crosses. Has she descended into hell or finally found kick-ass heaven? It’s the perfect setup to break her heart. Again.

Saved by Lorhainne Eckhart
Growing up I had dreams that one day I’d fall in love, marry & start a family. Then one night I was taken. I survived, escaped, I was saved. Eric didn’t see me as damaged. He didn’t see my baby as a monster. He protected me, kept me safe … he saved me.

Everything He Never Wanted by Mary Leo
Billionaire, Antonio Milani, came to London to recover what is his: a rare, signed copy of Oliver Twist. Instead, finds himself falling for the woman he suspects is involved in an international ring of book thieves.

A Girl, A Guy and A Ghost by Patricia Mason
A sexy psychic private eye could help her find a ghost… or turn her into one.

Deathblow by Dana Marton 
Former small-town football hero turned cop, Joe Kessler never met a linebacker, perp, or a woman he couldn’t handle. Then a troubled single mom walks into his life, & the only place this hot jock will ever see ‘easy’ again is in the dictionary.

One Night to Kill (Seven Nights, Book 1) by Rita Herron
A military man must use his leave to play bodyguard to the General’s sexy daughter!

Snowbound (The Protector Series, Book 2) by Karen Fenech 
FBI Agent Mallory Burke, injured and on the run for her life, is stranded in a snowstorm with a reclusive and secretive cop she’s not sure she can trust but is falling in love with.

BONUS Novella: Secret Identity by Jill Sanders 

Carter always had a thing for his best friend Eve. He hired her to boost his business & it’s never run more smoothly. When an opening presents itself, he takes a chance at happiness that could end up destroying their friendship.

*  *  *

Need More Romance in Your Life? We Got Your Fix ;)

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12-in-1 BOXED SET ALERT! Amazon Top Bestseller Dangerous Dozen: 12 Sexy Heroes To Die For Romantic Suspense Boxed Set
***Twelve Sexy Heroes, specially priced for 99 cents for a limited time.***

Dangerous Dozen: 12 Sexy Heroes To Die For Romantic Suspense Boxed Set

by Charity Pineiro, Tina Wainscott, Maureen Child, Paige Tyler, Tawny Weber, Nina Bruhns, Virna DePaul, Karen Fenech, Kristin Miller, Gennita Low, Joyce Lamb

4.8 stars – 20 Reviews
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:

Amazon Top 50 Bestseller!
Amazon Top 3 Bestseller in Anthologies!

Amazon Top 20 Bestseller in Romance!
Amazon Top 5 Bestseller in Romantic Suspense!
Amazon Top 5 Bestseller in Mystery/Suspense!

Amazon Top 3 Bestseller in Hot New Releases!

**Twelve Sexy Heroes, specially priced for 99 cents for a limited time.** 

These Alpha Males know how to protect their women and how to love them. This boxed set stars TWELVE Smoking Hot Heroes in TWELVE Full Length Novels by TWELVE Bestselling Authors.

To Catch Her Man by Charity Pineiro, New York Times Bestselling Author. Investigative reporter Sylvia Amenabar must decide between friendship, love and discovering the truth behind a cop’s murder. Undercover detective Carlos Ramirez nearly lost his life protecting Sylvia, but he knows it’ll be a fight to reach her heart.  Can they learn to trust one another and find out the truth about a failed assignment that nearly killed Carlos? Or will the secrets of the past and family issues cost them the things they hold most dear.

I’ll Be Watching You by Tina Wainscott, New York Times Bestselling Author. Ten years ago, Kim left her steamy Everglades town under a cloud of murder and scandal. Her gran brings her back to reclaim her home and unearth the truth…while a killer watches her every move.

Bedeviled by Maureen Child, USA Today Bestselling Author. A *faerie* funny paranormal.

Protective Custody by Paige Tyler, USA Today Bestselling Author. Someone is stalking reporter Paisley McCoy, and police detective Gray Beckham is the only man who can protect her. While the chemistry between them is undeniable, there’s no way he’s going near the captain’s daughter, and she has a hard and fast rule that says she doesn’t date cops. Can they both survive the stalker who’s coming after them long enough to realize how good they are together?

There’s a New Witch in Town by Tawny Weber, New York Times Bestselling Author. Her magic, his town, their love… is it enough? Or will a witch just regaining her powers have to choose between saving a cursed town, or giving up everything she’s come to care about?

In His Control by Nina Bruhns, New York Times Bestselling Author. A rogue detective will do anything to catch the sexy international thief he’s fixated upon. When their titillating game of cat and mouse grows shockingly intimate, he must make the impossible choice between honor and duty…and the notorious woman he has unwittingly come to love.

Chosen by Sin by Virna DePaul, New York Times Bestselling Author. A wounded alpha werebeast bent on revenge… A female vampire trying to save her adoptive dragon-shifter family… Can they stop a group of rebel shape-shifters from unleashing every demon in hell? Only if they relinquish their secrets, face their fears, and open themselves to love.

Imposter: The Protectors Series–Book One by Karen Fenech, International Bestselling Author. Dr. Eve Collins, accused by the CIA of developing a chemical weapon, learns someone has set her up. That “someone” wants her dead. To save her life, she must join forces with CIA Operative John Burke–the man who doesn’t believe her claim of innocence and the man she’s falling in love with.

Dark Tide Rising by Kristin Miller, New York Times Bestselling Author. Police Sergeant Mark Thurgood is all work and no play, but he’s harboring secrets that tie him to the vengeful sea. Free-spirited Emily McAllister is haunted by premonitions, and the latest shows her death in a dark coastal cave. Can they find the killer before he finds her?

Big Bad Wolf by Gennita Low. On the run from shadowy enemies, a secret agent finds sunlight and love while working undercover for a female roofer.

Found Wanting by Joyce Lamb. She’s been on the run for 14 years. He’s been sent to bring her home, dead or alive. A boy’s life depends on what happens next. Can they overcome betrayal, lies and violence to find what they’ve always wanted?

High Tide by Maureen Miller. A couple locked in a struggle to protect the coast…and their lives.

*  *  *

Need More Romance in Your Life? We Got Your Fix ;)

Free and Bargain romance eBooks delivered straight to your email everyday! Subscribe now! http://www.bookgorilla.com/kcc

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Kindle Nation Daily Free Book Alert, Monday, March 21: Margin, Quiet Reflections of Peace, and 200+ More! plus … “Romantic suspense at its best” with Karen Fenech’s IMPOSTER (Today’s Sponsor)

 
Just scroll down to see this morning’s latest additions to our 200+ Free Book Alert listings….

But first, a word from … Today’s Sponsor
 
 
From the author of BETRAYAL, GONE and UNHOLY ANGELS, the first book in The Protector series about spies, cops and soldiers… 
 

IMPOSTER is romantic suspense at its best!”
— USA Today Bestselling Author Maureen Child


Text-to-Speech: Enabled 
Don’t have a Kindle? Get yours here.


Here’s the set-up:
THE PROTECTORS: Though they work independently and at times are oceans apart, their ties to each other remain strong. They’re related by blood or bond – this group of men and women in law enforcement, government intelligence, and the military who do what others cannot to serve, defend, and protect.


About the Author


Karen Fenech writes contemporary and historical romantic suspense thrillers and suspense-mystery. Her novels have received critical acclaim and have been praised by New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Kat Martin, Maureen Child, and Debra Webb. Her novel BETRAYAL has been translated into Japanese, and her short fiction has been translated into Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian.
Karen’s titles BETRAYAL and GONE, originally released in hardcover by Gale under the Five Star Expressions imprint, are now available for Amazon Kindle and Kindle applications. Her suspense-mystery title, UNHOLY ANGELS, is now also available for Amazon Kindle and Kindle applications.

Karen lives with her husband and daughter. Visit her website at: www.karenfenech.com

Click here to download IMPOSTER: The Protectors Series – Book One (or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!

UK CUSTOMERS: Click on the title below to download

IMPOSTER: The Protectors Series – Book One

Chemist Dr. Eve Collins, wrongly accused by the CIA of developing and marketing a chemical weapon, learns she has been set up as a scapegoat by someone seeking to hide his own guilt. That “someone” wants her dead. Her life depends on making no mistakes – like trusting the Central Intelligence agent assigned to her case, a man she’s falling in love with.

CIA Operative John Burke doesn’t believe her claim of innocence. When an attempt is made on her life, he believes her accomplice has turned on her. But something doesn’t add up about Eve and her role in this crime she’s accused of. Burke has too many questions, including – has his judgment been compromised by his fierce attraction to her?

It’s a question Burke asks himself again and again but when he learns Eve’s would-be assassin is close, he goes on the run with her. It’s a temporary solution – running will not keep her safe. Burke must find the assassin – or die trying.  

Each day’s list is sponsored by one paid title. We encourage you to support our sponsors and thank you for considering them.
 
Authors, Publishers, iPad Accessory Manufacturers:
Interested in learning more about sponsorship? Just click on this link for more information.

Free Contemporary Titles in the Kindle Store 
HOW TO USE OUR NEW FREE BOOK TOOL:

Just use the slider at right of your screen below to scroll through a complete, updated list of free contemporary Kindle titles, and click on an icon like this one (at right) to read a free sample right here in your browser! Titles are sorted in reverse chronological order so you can easily see new freebies.

 

Free Kindle Nation Shorts — March 19, 2011: An Excerpt from IMPOSTER (The Protectors Series – Book One) by Karen Fenech

Long-time Kindle Nation readers will recall the masterful storytelling and gripping beginning of Karen Fenech’s novel Gone, which was featured last year in our Free Kindle Nation Shorts program. Karen’s back with IMPOSTER, the first volume of her new Protectors series, and it’s a treat to let her share a compelling plot and a fascinating approach to building a brand new fast-paced fiction series….

Here’s the set-up: 

IMPOSTER: The Protectors Series – Book One

Chemist Dr. Eve Collins, wrongly accused by the CIA of developing and marketing a chemical weapon, learns she has been set up as a scapegoat by someone seeking to hide his own guilt. That “someone” wants her dead. Her life depends on making no mistakes – like trusting the Central Intelligence agent assigned to her case, a man she’s falling in love with.

CIA Operative John Burke doesn’t believe her claim of innocence. When an attempt is made on her life, he believes her accomplice has turned on her. But something doesn’t add up about Eve and her role in this crime she’s accused of. Burke has too many questions, including – has his judgment been compromised by his fierce attraction to her?

It’s a question Burke asks himself again and again but when he learns Eve’s would-be assassin is close, he goes on the run with her. It’s a temporary solution – running will not keep her safe. Burke must find the assassin – or die trying.

Praise for IMPOSTER:

“IMPOSTER is romantic suspense at its best!”

–USA Today Bestselling Author Maureen Child

Click here to begin reading the free excerpt

 

IMPOSTERIMPOSTER:

The Protectors Series – Book One

by Karen Fenech
Kindle Edition

List Price: $2.99

Buy Now

Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled

 

 

Click here to download IMPOSTER (or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!

 

UK CUSTOMERS: Click on the title below to download

IMPOSTER

excerptFree Kindle Nation Shorts – March 19, 2011

 

An Excerpt from

IMPOSTER

The Protectors Series – Book One

 

by Karen Fenech

Copyright © 2011 by Karen Fenech and published here with her permission

Chapter One
“Richard!  Slow down!”
Heart pounding, Eve took her gaze from the road and cut a glance to the driver, Richard, her business partner.

Richard didn’t respond.  The CD player was blaring.  Unlikely he could hear her above Van Halen’s scream.
Richard had picked up his new Porsche just yesterday.  He’d wanted to see what the car could do, he’d said with a smirk when they started on this road, and hit the gas.  Now the road began to slope and the car gained additional speed.  Eve’s gaze went to the speedometer and her breath hitched.  Ninety and climbing.  Outside the passenger window, a view of trees and rock- face streaked by in a blur.  Her mouth went dry.

Eve took her gaze from the road and cut a glance to Richard.  His focus was trained on the rearview mirror.

It wasn’t the first time in the last few minutes she’d spotted him looking into the rearview.  She looked around herself but couldn’t see anything but the trail of dust the Porsche was kicking up in its wake.  As she faced front again, again, Richard’s focus lifted to the view behind them.
What was going on?
She reached out to lower the volume on the CD to ask him that question when the car swerved sharply to the right, throwing her toward the passenger door.  The seatbelt held firm, preventing what could have been a nasty impact.
She returned her attention to Richard.  Tension was now coming off  him in waves.  A fine sheen of sweat glistened on his brow.  In his eyes, she saw terror.
Eve looked back.  A dark sedan was now visible, moving fast and closing the distance between them.
“Richard, what’s going on?  Are we being followed?”
Richard didn’t reply, but the Porsche shot forward with a sudden burst of speed.   The sedan fell back but was picking up speed.  It should have been no match for the Porsche but it continued to gain ground.  Just what kind of engine was under the hood of that plain sedan?  No ordinary sedan and Eve’s nerves jumped.

Why were they being followed?  Who would want to follow them?

The Porsche skidded.  Richard steered into the skid.  When the tires gained traction, he floored the gas pedal.

This was insane.  If Richard and whoever was following them didn’t slow down-

The road curved like a hair pin.  Richard made a sound, but without breaking speed, drove into it.  The rear fishtailed.  Eve’s breath caught.  Richard cried out.  Both his face and his grip on the steering wheel went white as he struggled to get the car under control.       Eve’s heart hammered.  Each wild beat thundered in her ears.
“Richard!”

She turned to him.  He was now slumped across the dashboard.

The speedometer read one-hundred-ten.  The car raced out of control.  Gravel pinged against the car’s underside as the right front tire slid off the narrow strip of asphalt.  The edge dropped off in a sheer cliff  Eve couldn’t see the bottom of.

Another instant and the car would go over.
Eve stared wide -eyed as the car continued to lose purchase.  As the tires continued to slide away from the pavement.  Was this how her life would end?  In a car crash that would not right the wrong committed five years earlier when she had lived while the most precious thing in her world had died?

Tears filled her eyes.  She thought back over the last five years to all of the times she’d wished she could go back to that moment and exchange her life for the one that was taken.

But she couldn’t.  She could not change the past.  Not then and not now . . .

The tires slid.  The cliff loomed.  The dark abyss drew closer.

Eve grabbed the steering wheel.  Her hands were sweating.  She latched on and jerked sharply to the right.  The car veered away from the edge.
She shoved Richard toward the driver’s door. He was a small, wiry man, but inert, his body was heavy.  She grunted, heaved again, and he struck the driver’s door hard.  His blond head lolled against the window.  He didn’t protest her rough handling of him, not even a moan.  Eve would have welcomed a moan. At the least he was unconscious.  At the most . . .

She fought off  her fears for Richard.  If she didn’t stop the car, his condition would cease to matter – to both of them.
She grappled with her seat belt, releasing the catch, then slid onto the console and swung her leg over Richard’s.  She kicked his foot off the accelerator and stomped on the brake. The tires screeched as the car skidded, then went into a spin.  The landscape of trees and rock face swirled by, then Eve didn’t know if the car was again at the edge about to go over.  She couldn’t determine up or down.  She’d lost her bearings.
She maintained her grip on the steering wheel and on the brake, the skin stretched taut over her knuckles, her teeth gritted as she fought to ride out the spin and regain control of the car.

The Porsche rocked to a stop.  She was flung forward.  Her instinctive grab of the dashboard twisted her wrist but saved her face.  Laying her head on her arms, she closed her eyes and gave in to the weakness that had come over her now that the initial adrenaline rush was spent.  Her ears were ringing. The car engine was now off and in the silence she could hear herself breathing.  Shallow, panting gasps for air that hurt to inhale and exhale.  Other than those complaints, she felt fine.  Alive.

Richard . . .
She turned to him and shook his shoulder.  He didn’t respond. She pressed her fingertips to his neck. Her hands were shaking so badly she wasn’t sure she’d detect any other movement, but she felt a thready pulse.
She’d bought a bottle of water at the last gas station they’d stopped at.  It was in the cup holder.  She uncapped it and upended it onto Richard’s face.  Water flowed down his shaved cheeks.
Eve tapped the back of her hand against his skin.  “Richard.”
He didn’t respond.  She struck him harder.  His cheek reddened.  She’d hit him hard enough to mark him, but apparently not enough to rouse him.
“Hang on, Richard,” she murmured.
She turned the key, but the engine didn’t start.  Her purse . . . where was her purse?  She spotted the little envelope bag on the floor board.  She fumbled with the snap and yanked out her cell phone.   She had to get help.
Where were they?   She glanced around the deserted stretch of road.  A meadow lay beyond the two lanes of asphalt.  Trees and scraggly bushes grew on the grass, amid patches of white and yellow wildflowers. She and Richard had left Manhattan bound for Rowland, a county in Pennsylvania, about an hour ago. They were chemists and they were on their way to a chemist’s conference in Pittsburgh.   Richard had kept to back roads like this one to avoid traffic.  Other than the sedan that was no longer in sight, she couldn’t remember the last time they came across another car.  None were in sight now.  The sun was lowering behind a cluster of oaks.  Nightfall was imminent.  If this road was rarely traveled in daylight, what was the likelihood of another car coming along at night? With Richard in his present condition, they could not pass the night here.   She pushed dark hair back from her face and flipped open the phone.

An instant later she found there was no signal.  She hoped that was because she was inside the car. As she was about to go outside and try the phone again, the sedan that had been following them skidded to a halt behind the Porsche.

Both the driver and passenger doors were flung open.  Two men charged out.

One man was dark-haired, the other blond.  Both wore suits and ties.
Eve wanted to be away from there.  She knew nothing about the occupants of that car other than that Richard had been terrified of him.  But where to go?  She was in the middle of nowhere.  The car disabled.  Her phone useless.  She had no weapon to defend herself and Richard.  She’d turned in her service weapon years ago along with her resignation from the LAPD.

To buy a moment to think, she reached out to engage the automatic door locks.  Ineffective if these men were armed, but if not, the locked doors would keep them at bay.

Before she could hit the locks, both her door and Richard’s door were thrown open.   The dark haired man peered at Richard.  The blond man reached for her.

Eve drew back.  “I don’t know who you are or what you want, but Richard needs help.  He needs a doctor.”

The dark-haired man glanced over his shoulder at Eve.  His eyes, dark brown and deep-set, narrowed to slits.   He pressed his lips together, tight enough that a line formed on either side of his mouth.  There was no mistaking his anger, though she could not account for it.
The blond man’s soft, doughy features were grim.  Eve’s heart pounded.  She looked from one man to the other.  “Why are you just standing around?”  She was afraid she knew, but blurted out anyway.  “We need to get Richard to a doctor.  Now.”
“Richard is dead,” the dark- haired man said bluntly.
As he stepped back from the open doorway, back from Richard, she glimpsed her business partner, slumped against the black leather seat.  His eyes were glazed. There was no mistaking the vacant look in them now and the gray cast to his skin that indicated recent death.
Eve continued to stare at him.  She shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was seeing.
At any moment she expected him to bounce up and burst into movement.  But he did not.
Richard . . .
Tears burned her eyes. She pressed her fingers to them.  Her hands trembled.  She clenched them briefly in an effort to steady them.  The need to know how Richard died weighed on her, along with a terrible sadness.  She and Richard had been partners for four years and though that relationship had its ups and downs – was presently down – she felt a loss at his passing. Now was not the time for questions, though, or to mourn.  She had to keep it together and see him home.
“Let’s get him into our car,” the dark- haired man said.
The men hooked Richard beneath the arms and legs, and removed him from his vehicle.  They hauled him across the asphalt to their own car and stuffed him into the trunk.  The act galvanized Eve. Richard was dead.  Why had they moved him?
Eve left the Porsche and stumbled out onto the asphalt.  She was still holding her phone and dropped it onto the pavement as she ran to the sedan.

She reached it and seized the lid just as the dark-haired man was about to slam it. “You can’t move Richard’s body.  Drive back to the nearest city and send the police.”  What was the name of the last place they drove through?  She shook her head in frustration; she couldn’t recall it.  She eyed the two men. “There’s a city about a forty minute drive east of here.  Since you were on this road, you would have passed it as well.  There’s bound to be a police station there.”

The man slammed the trunk and turned to his companion.  “You’d better get going.  I’ll be in touch.”
“Will do.”
The men acted as if she hadn’t spoken.  Eve reached out and seized the dark-haired man’s forearm.  Beneath the conservative gray suit was hard muscle.  Instead of digging into skin, her nails bent.  She bit down hard on her back teeth  “Did you hear what I said?”
He met her gaze.  “Every word.  I’m afraid, however, that we will be removing the body.”
She could see the promise in his eyes, and her anger spiked another notch.   “Listen to me–”
“Dr. Collins–”
“You know me?”  She searched her memory, but could not recall ever meeting him.  He obviously knew her though, and though he had yet to harm her, that fact unsettled her, reminded her that this man and his companion had been following Richard.

Who were these men?  Eve’s stomach went as tight as a fist.  Her body went cold with apprehension but she knew better than to show it.  She crossed her arms and narrowed her gaze on  the dark-haired man who appeared to be leading the other man.  “I asked you a question.”
“We’ve never met. I’m John Burke.” Burke indicated the man beside him.  “This is Michael Lanski. We work for a division of the Central Intelligence Agency.” Burke withdrew a small folder from inside his suit jacket and opened it for her inspection.  It was his picture ID. He replaced it, then repeated to Lanski,  “Get going.”
Lanski got behind the wheel of the sedan, and Eve’s heart thumped.  “Where is he going?”  she asked Burke.  “Why were you following Richard?  What does the CIA want with Richard’s body?”
“We’ll talk on the drive to Rowland,” Burke said.  “Let’s go, Dr. Collins.”
Eve narrowed her eyes on Burke.  “You know where Richard and I were going?”
Burke gave her a level look.  “Oh, yeah.  We know a lot of  things about you and Richard.”
Eve arched her eyebrows at the cryptic statement.  “What is that supposed to mean?”
Before Burke could respond–if he’d intended to–Eve’s attention was drawn by the sedan.  Lanski spun the car in a U-turn then, tires squealing, sped down the road.  Dust swirled in the air where the car had been an instant earlier, and Richard was gone.
Again, Eve felt tears burn.  She forced them back and confronted Burke.  “I asked you what the CIA wants with Richard’s body.”
“And I told you we would talk on the way to Rowland,” Burke said.
The sun had lowered and dusk had descended.  In the interval between day and night, there was a stillness, a quiet time.  In the silence, Eve became aware of the hum of the Porsche’s engine.  She’d thought the car was disabled by the accident, but Burke or Lanski had started it.  Obviously, Burke intended that they leave there in Richard’s vehicle.
Eve crossed her arms.  “I’m not going anywhere with you, Mr. Burke.”
He braced his hands low on his hips.  “Are you thinking to wait out here, hoping another car will come along?”
“Oh, no.  I am leaving.  You’re not.  I’m taking the car.  You should have gone with Lanski.” Eve’s cheeks warmed.  “This isn’t over.  If you won’t tell me what I want to know, I’ll get my answers from your office.  I will get Richard’s body released.  I will find out why the CIA even knows my name.”
Eve moved past him toward the car.
“You aren’t going anywhere without me.”
She glanced back at Burke.  He hadn’t moved, but his eyes had hardened and she knew he meant what he said.  He outweighed her by at least seventy pounds and topped her by a good eight inches.  Did he intend to use physical force to detain her?  On the job, she’d taken down men of his size before.  Still, he would need a reason to insist that she accompany him; he was an officer of the law, after all, not a thug.
She raised an eyebrow.  “If you want to stop me, you’re going to have to place me under arrest.”
Burke reached into a back pocket and held up a pair of handcuffs.
Eve’s lips tensed briefly.  “You have to be out of your mind, Burke.  I’m a chemist not a criminal.”
“You set the terms, Doctor.  We are going to talk.  If I have to arrest you to do that, I will.”
“This is ridiculous. You can’t arrest me without cause.”
“Oh, I have cause.”  He leaned in close to her, and his voice lowered to a near whisper.  “You’ve been named in a terrorist plot, Doctor.  The charge for committing an offence against your country is treason.”
*

 

… continued …

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IMPOSTER:

The Protectors Series – Book One

by Karen Fenech
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THE PROTECTORS:

Though they work independently and at times are oceans apart, their ties to each other remain strong. They’re related by blood or bond – this group of men and women in law enforcement, government intelligence, and the military who do what others cannot to serve, defend, and protect.