âWhat do you know about my work, Captain Fox?â
âYou research nuclear fusion.â
âMy goal is to develop fusion power as an economically viable energy source. Two days ago, a representative from our government visited me at my lab in California. He requested that I continue my research under their supervision. All my results would be exclusive property of the Department of Defense. I turned them down.â
âSurely you donât think the government is trying to kill you simply because you wouldnât work for them.â
âNo. They donât want my death. They want my work. And what better way to get it than to place someone, say a bodyguard, in a position where they had a reason to stay with me night and day? Even better, what if they sent a beautiful woman who would have unlimited opportunities to gather information?â
He could see the exact moment she understood his point. Twin spots of color bloomed in her cheeksâand he would bet it wasnât because heâd called her beautiful.
Her lips thinned. âYou think I was sent here to spy on you.â
Dear Reader,
This year may be winding down, but the excitementâs as high as ever here at Silhouette Intimate Moments. National bestselling author Merline Lovelace starts the month off with a bang with A Question of Intent, the first of a wonderful new miniseries called TO PROTECT AND DEFEND. Look for the next book, Full Throttle, in Silhouette Desire in January 2004.
Because youâve told us you like miniseries, weâve got three more for you this month. Marie Ferrarella continues her family-based CAVANAUGH JUSTICE miniseries with Crime and Passion. Then we have two military options: Strategic Engagement features another of Catherine Mannâs WINGMEN WARRIORS, while Ingrid Weaver shows she can Aim for the Heart with her newest EAGLE SQUADRON tale. Weâve got a couple of superb stand-alone novels for you, too: Midnight Run, in which a wrongly accused cop has only one optionâthe heroine!âto save his freedom, by reader favorite Linda Castillo, and Laura Galeâs deeply moving debut, The Tie That Binds, about a reunited coupleâs fight to save their daughterâs life.
Enjoy them allâand weâll see you again next month, for six more of the best and most exciting romances around.
Yours,
Leslie J. Wainger
Executive Editor
Aim for the Heart
Ingrid Weaver
admits to being a sucker for old movies and books that can make her cry. A Romance Writers of America RITA>® Award winner for Romantic Suspense and a national bestselling author, she enjoys creating stories that reflect the adventure of falling in love. When she and her husband arenât dealing with the debatable joys of living in an old farmhouse, youâll probably find Ingrid going on a knitting binge, rattling the windows with heavy metal or rambling through the woods in the back forty with her cats. You can visit Ingridâs Web site at http://www.ingridweaver.com.
This book is dedicated to Susan Litman and Kim Nadelson, two extraordinary editors who helped bring Eagle Squadron to life.
Thank you both for sharing the adventure.
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
Epilogue
âDr. Lemay, get down!â
The cry was muffled by the lap of water in the canal below him and the noise of traffic at his back. Hawk couldnât be certain heâd heard it. Curious, he pushed away from the stone wall that bordered the canal and turned around. The last rays of afternoon sunlight gilded the gabled windows and copper rooftops of Gamla Stan, Stockholmâs Old Town, but the street level was already cloaked in dusk. Headlights bored through puffs of exhaust. Against the glow of shop windows on the other side of the road, pedestrians were swiftly moving shadows, their shoulders hunched against the breeze.
âDr. Lemay!â
Hawk spotted her then. A woman was running along the sidewalk. He had a quick impression of blond hair and an athleteâs stride before she disappeared behind a bus. As soon as the bus had passed, she leaped off the sidewalk and darted through the traffic toward him.
Tires screeched as a taxi braked to avoid her. There was a thud and the crunch of metal as a boxy delivery truck plowed into the taxi. It spun into the womanâs path. Without breaking stride, she hurdled over the taxiâs hood, slid down the front fender and kept running.
Hawk held up his palms and started forward. Was she suicidal or just plain crazy? âStop!â he shouted. âWatch out!â
âGet down!â she repeated. She dodged past a station wagon and reached the curb just as Hawk did. She didnât stop. She launched herself through the air, hitting him square in the chest.
Hawk staggered backward at the impact. She wasnât a large woman but her momentum was too much to counteract. Off balance, he hit the sidewalk hard on his butt. His hands smacked the pavement behind him. His teeth clacked together, cutting off the oath he muttered.