When her son is kidnapped at Christmastime, a therapist must turn to an FBI agent for helpâbefore itâs too lateâ¦
Something is stopping Special Agent Jack Prescott from being his best. Heâs run countless missions, but when one hits too close to home, he needs help that most men wouldnât ask for. Andrea McNeil has counseled plenty of FBI professionals before, but no one has been harder to reach than Jack. Sheâs never been involved with one of her patients up close and personal, but when her son is abducted, she turns to Jack for help. Now they have to help each other to bring her son home and stay a step ahead of his kidnappers. Both of them need a breakthroughâand a miracleâif theyâre going to bring Ian home for Christmas.
âThey left a note.â
She handed him a piece of paper, the message on it typed in block letters: YOUR BOY WILL BE SAFE AS LONG AS YOU COOPERATE. YOU AND YOUR BOYFRIEND BRING TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS TO THE ADDRESS WEâLL GIVE YOU TOMORROW AND WE WILL TALK THEN. DO NOT GO TO THE POLICE OR TELL ANYONE ELSE. WE HAVE PEOPLE WATCHING YOU AND WE WILL KNOW. MAKE ONE WRONG MOVE AND YOUR BOY WILL DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH.
Andrea sank into a chair, her hand over her mouth, stifling a sob.
Jack read the note again. âWho is this boyfriend theyâre talking about?â he asked.
âI donât know. Iâm not dating anyone. I havenât, since before my marriage. I think they mean you.â
CINDI MYERS is the author of more than fifty novels. When sheâs not crafting new romance plots, she enjoys skiing, gardening, cooking, crafting and daydreaming. A lover of small-town life, she lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in the Colorado mountains.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Special Agent Jack PrescottâThe FBI agent is tortured by the fact that, while he remembers the faces of almost everyone he meets, he canât recall the man who murdered his best friend. His attraction to the therapist he sought help from is complicating his life and distracting him from his duties.
Andrea McNeilâThe widow of a cop who was killed in the line of duty, Andrea uses her training as a therapist to help other officers and their families. When terrorists kidnap her son, she turns to one of her patients for help. But the intense and troubled Jack Prescott may be more dangerous to her peaceful, ordered life than she could have imagined.
Ian McNeilâAndreaâs son survives a kidnapping and looks up to Jack, but Andrea worries this adoration will only lead to hurt.
Gus MathersâThe fellow FBI agent was Jackâs best friend. He was murdered before Jackâs eyes, and Jack struggles with guilt and an inability to remember his friendâs killer.
Duane BraeswoodâThe terrorist leader survived a horrific accident and has vowed revenge on the agents who have hounded him. Will Jack be his next victim?
AndersonâThe terrorist wants to make a name for himself in the organization. Killing an FBI agent is one way to do so.
Eddie RolandâBraeswoodâs second in command has taken on more of the lead since his bossâs accident, but now agents suspect Roland has a new agenda of his own.
Chapter One
Experience had taught Andrea McNeil to trust her first impressions of a man. She had learned to read temperament and tendencies in the set of his shoulders and the shadows in his eyes. Whether they were heroes or the perpetrators of heinous crimes, they all revealed themselves to her as much by their silences as by what they said.
The man who stood before her now radiated both strength and anxiety in the stubborn set of his broad shoulders and the tight line of his square jaw. He wore his blond hair short and neat, his face clean shaven, his posture military straight, though he was dressed in jeans, hiking boots and a button-down shirt and not a uniform. He moved with the raw sensuality of a hunter, muscular shoulders sliding beneath the soft cotton of his shirt, and when his hazel eyes met hers, she saw pride and courage and deep grief.
âAll I want you to do is help me remember the face of the man who killed my friend,â he said, before she had even invited him to sit on the sofa across from her chair in her small office just off the main street of Durango, Colorado.
She didnât allow her face to betray alarm at his statement. This certainly wasnât the worst thing she had heard from the people who came to her for help. âPlease sit down, Agent Prescott, and Iâll tell you a little more about how I work.â
FBI special agent Jack Prescott lowered himself gingerly onto the sofa. He grimaced as he shifted his weight. âIs something wrong?â she asked.
âIâm fine.â
She kept her gaze steady on him, letting him know she wasnât buying this statement.