âIâm so scared, Rex. What if he hurts my baby?â
âIâll tear him apart.â Brave words.
But it was what Nadia needed to hear. She reached up and touched his face. âThank you.â
He moved into her light caress, craving her touch. And before he knew what was happening, their lips met. Fueled by tension and pent-up feelings, the kiss was not gentle, but Rex didnât think Nadia wanted gentle. She battled as fiercely as he did. Her hands touched him everywhere, while his got caught in that wonderful cloud of hair.
Rex didnât know how the kiss had started, or how heâd let it get so out of hand. With Nadia invading his senses, every sane thought flew from his brain. The only thing he did know was that he never wanted it to end.
But it had to end. âNadiaâ¦â he murmured against her mouth.
âPlease donât let go of me. If you stop touching me, the fear will crush me.â
Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,
It might be warm outside, but our June lineup will thrill and chill you!
* This month, we have a couple of great miniseries. Man of Her Dreams is the spine-tingling conclusion to Debra Webbâs trilogy THE ENFORCERS. And there are just two installments left in B.J. Danielsâs McCALLSâ MONTANA seriesâHigh-Caliber Cowboy is out now, and Shotgun Surrender will be available next month.
* We also have two fantastic special promotions. First, is our Gothic ECLIPSE title, Mystique, by Charlotte Douglas. And Dani Sinclair brings you D.B. Hayes, Detective, the second installment in our LIPSTICK LTD. promotion featuring sexy sleuths.
* Last, but definitely not least, is Jessica Andersenâs The Sheriffâs Daughter. Sparks fly between a medical investigator and a vet in this exciting medical thriller.
* Also, keep your eyes peeled for Joanna Wayneâs THE GENTLEMANâS CLUB, available from Signature Spotlight.
This month, and every month, we promise to deliver six of the best romantic suspense titles around. Donât miss a single one!
Sincerely,
Denise OâSullivan
Senior Editor
Harlequin Intrigue
Texas native Kara Lennox has been an art director, typesetter, textbook editor and reporter. Sheâs worked in a boutique, a health club and an ad agency. Sheâs been an antiques dealer and even a blackjack dealer. But no work has made her happier than writing romance novels.
When not writing, Kara indulges in an ever-changing array of weird hobbies. (Her latest passions are treasure hunting and creating mosaics.) She loves to hear from readers. You can visit her Web site and drop her a note at www.karalennox.com.
Rex BettencourtâOne of the countryâs top bounty hunters. But the ex-marine sniper has a terrible secret heâs never confessed to anyoneâa secret that could potentially get someone killed.
Nadia PennâGranddaughter of a KGB defector, research scientist and inventor of the Petro-Nano, an exciting technology that could solve the worldâs energy problemsâor cause instantaneous global meltdown.
Lily PennâNadiaâs two-year-old daughter, kidnapped from her stroller right under Nadiaâs nose.
Peter DanilovâNadiaâs Russian ex-husband. Handsome, charismatic and very dangerous. He has Lily, and there is only one way Nadia can get her backâturn over the Petro-Nano.
Denise Petrovski, alias âRat FaceââPeterâs Russian girlfriend. She is blindly loyal to her mother country and crazily in love with Peter. But could she harm an innocent child?
Detective Lyle PalmerâA cop whose incompetence is exceeded only by his ambitionâand his resentment of the First Strike Agency bounty hunters.
Detective Craig CartwrightâThe only cop any of the bounty hunters trust.
Lori BettencourtâRexâs sister and fellow bounty hunter, more clever and capable than anyone gives her credit for.
Prologue
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
Something was wrong. The certainty started as a prickling of unease at the back of Nadiaâs neck. But it grew until it twisted in her gut. She glanced first over one shoulder, then the other. Nothing. Nobody.
Then she looked down at the stroller, where her two-year-old daughter had been sleeping soundly while Nadia shopped for baby clothes.
The stroller was empty.
At first, she tamped down her panic and tried to find some logical explanation for Lilyâs absence. Had another shopper at the mall found the baby irresistible and picked her up for a quick cuddle? Had Lily, getting more clever with her hands by the day, unfastened her safety strap and crawled out of the stroller herself?
But a quick scan in all directions at the baby store produced no sign of Lily. Around Nadia, other women calmly sifted through tiny, pastel-hued dresses and booties, chatting among themselves. No one sensed the terrible rent in the fabric of Nadiaâs reality. But her baby was gone, vanished like a mist.