Desperate Escape

DOCTOR IN PERIL

When Dr. Maddie Gilbert is kidnapped by rebel forces in West Africa, special ops agent Grant Reese races to rescue her. But the ruthless drug traffickers holding Maddie hostage have powerful connections—maybe even inside the US government. And they’ll go to any lengths to silence her—permanently. Grant knows that getting Maddie free and safe is just the first step of this mission. Because he’s fallen for the spirited beauty, and as her enemies pursue them, Grant must face a second battle—the one to win her heart.

Maddie tried to swallow the fear threatening to engulf her.

She’d seen what they did with her coworker from the hospital. And knew what they’d do to her if they caught her trying to escape.

She quickened her steps across the tangled mass of vines beneath her feet, her rib cage pressing against her lungs as they hurried over a low section of the wall then hurried into the forest. She was terrified they were following in the darkness. Terrified this wasn’t really over.

She stumbled, but Grant was there to catch her. She felt his arm wrap around her waist. Felt the warmth of his hands as he steadied her. And caught a glimpse of his expression as he looked at her.

“We’re almost there,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.

She saw the waiting car as they came out of the thick wooded area. A second later, a streak of orange lit the night air in an arch then dropped back toward the horizon, enveloping the car in a ball of flames.

LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award winner and winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 from RT Book Reviews. She and her family are missionaries in southern Africa. When she’s not working she loves hanging out with her family, cooking different ethnic dishes, photography and heading into the African bush on safari. For more information about her books and life in Africa, visit her website at lisaharriswrites.com.

Desperate Escape

Lisa Harris

www.millsandboon.co.uk

So be strong and courageous!

Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

—Deuteronomy 31:6

Dedicated to Amber for rooting me on, helping me keep focused and keeping up with the dishes as I wrote fervently to not only save Maddie and Grant, but to also meet my deadline!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

ONE

Grant Reese jumped out of the Jeep at the edge of the dirt road behind Antonio, praying his friend’s intel was right. Maddie Gilbert’s life—as well as their own lives—depended on it. Gray shadows hovered around them like formless figures as they left the car behind and stepped into the thick bush. Already, the last whitish glow of sunlight was preparing to vanish into darkness. There was no dusk here. Just a few moments of shimmering color along the horizon, then nothing but blackness. And even then the vast network of stars hanging across the African night sky wouldn’t be able to compete with the extensive canopy of trees that intertwined above them.

“You know this is a suicide mission.” Antonio’s whisper competed with the hum of insects around them as they forged ahead through the thick undergrowth.

Grant frowned at his friend’s comment. Antonio might have agreed to help him, but he’d also made it clear he believed it was foolish to try to rescue Maddie from the middle of an insurgent camp on their own. Grant didn’t need anyone to convince him he was about to step into a minefield—both literally and figuratively.

If only a fraction of the rumors he’d heard about this area were true, anyone with half an ounce of intelligence would be running in the opposite direction. Because while it was impossible to tell where the rebels were, he knew they were out there. And if the insurgents didn’t get them, one of the dozens of land mines that’d been laid by the local drug traffickers to protect their crops and processing labs very well could.

Yet even those risks didn’t outweigh the urgency simmering in his gut to find Maddie. He’d made a promise to her brother and, even with the odds against them, he still had no intentions of breaking it.

“You could wait back at the car,” Grant threw out.

“I’m not afraid of dying.” Antonio’s tone was straightforward. “I’m just making sure you’re fully aware of what we’re stepping into.”

A blade of razor-sharp grass sliced through the back of his calf. Grant reached down to slap at the stinging cut and felt the wet trickle of blood. He’d known the stakes when he signed up to serve his country more than a decade ago. Knew his chances of returning home in a body bag were far higher than average. But he wasn’t the one they’d laid in the ground that cold Chicago winter six years ago. Darren had stepped on a land mine they were trying to clear. And nothing he’d done had been able to save his friend.