SABOTAGE AT SEA
On his cousinâs Christmas cruise wedding, navy SEAL Jordan Somerton anticipated having the typical best man dutiesânot facing down criminals boarding the ship. But when the luxury liner is infiltrated by men determined to kidnap the flower girl, heâs plunged into an unexpected mission. Maid of honor and DEA agent Amy Delgado hasnât forgiven Jordan for a misunderstanding in their pasts. But with her young niece targeted, she must draw on Jordanâs skills as a protector. Signs point to an inside job. With a traitor in their midst, can they ensure that every passenger returns home safely for the holidays...even as they find love amid deepening danger?
Where would they be safe?
Out of the corner of her eye, Amy saw a closed door to what looked like a small storage closet. But as she turned toward it, she ran directly into an unmoving chest.
Large hands clamped on both of her shoulders, surrounding Elaina and stopping her midstep. âAmy? Are you all right? I thought I heard someone screaming.â
She had to peer all the way up into his face to get a good look at Jordan, but even then her eyes wouldnât quite focus on him.
âAmy.â His tone was clipped, his eyes darting from her to Elaina and back. âWhatâs wrong?â
Everything in her melted. She hadnât even known sheâd wanted his help, but now that he was here, she recognized him for exactly what they needed. âSomeoneâs chasing us. Shot at us.â
If he needed to think through his actions, it took him only a fragment of a second. He grabbed them both, shifting them out of the line of view of the stairwell. âStay right here. Donât move.â
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining Jordan and Amy and me on this adventure. I hope you enjoyed reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it. In fact, Iâve loved writing about all of the men of SEAL Team Fifteen, these men of valor.
When I wrote the first book in the series more than five years ago, I had no idea that Iâd get to explore the lives of all six of these amazing men, but Iâve loved discovering their humor, their personalities and their matches. Love has a way of changing us, but only if we open ourselves up to it.
I hope youâll open your heart to loveâespecially the love of God, which is greater than we can ever imagine.
Thanks for spending your time with us. Iâd love to hear from you. You can reach me at [email protected], Twitter.com/LizJohnsonBooks or Facebook.com/LizJohnsonBooks. Or visit LizJohnsonBooks.com to sign up for my newsletter.
Liz Johnson
By day LIZ JOHNSON works as a marketing director. She makes time to write late at night and is a two-time ACFW Carol Award finalist. She lives in Tucson, Arizona, and enjoys exploring local theater and doting on her nieces and nephews. She writes stories filled with heart, humor and happily-ever-afters and can be found online at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com.
We love Him, because He first loved us.
â1 John 4:19
For Amy, the best kind of friend.
Iâm so thankful for you!
And for all of the second chance sweethearts, whose love is richer because of forgiveness.
ONE
When Petty Officer Jordan Somerton stepped onto the lido deck of the cruise ship Summer Seas, heâd have gladly given a monthâs salary to be on land.
That wasnât something he usually thought. Not after almost ten years in the navy, eight of those as a SEAL. Sea. Air. Land. It didnât matter to him on any given mission. He was comfortable in any and all.
Only this wasnât a mission. And he wasnât aboard a naval ship.
âJordan!â his aunt Phyllis called from the starboard side of the hardwood deck. As she waved her hand, enough bracelets to sink a liner half this size jangled around her wrist. He wasnât usually called Jordan by anyone but his family. His team called him River. As in the Jordan River.
But he didnât think he could avoid Aunt Phyllis by pretending he didnât recognize his own name. Not with her eyes on him like a laser. So he smiled at her and circled around the outskirts of the crowd, his back always to the wall, facing the collection of Somertons and Sutcliffs mingling around the pool.
A ship with a pool. What a waste of space.
But Aunt Phyllis didnât seem to agree. She shuffled over, dragging his youngest cousin, Stephanie, in her wake.
âHi, Steph,â he said, leaning down to hug her shoulders and kiss the top of her head. Even though she had just graduated from high school, their standard greeting seemed fitting since heâd spent most of his growing-up years living with them. âHowâs college?â
She shrugged, but it did nothing to dim the smile on her lips and her flashing white teeth. âOkay.â
Phyllis pouted. âShe met a young man and wants to go to his house for Christmas.â
Stephanieâs eyes bugged out. âMo-om!â