Finders Keepers
$10k is on the line. So is her reputation. And retrieval specialist Samantha Ballanger is about to risk it all.For a retrieval pro like Sam, extracting a deluded cult member and transporting him across the country should be a piece of cake. Right? Too bad the people who hired her to snatch Matt Granger left out a few vital details. Such as that Matt was a total babe–and irresistibly charming. And he was an undercover reporter on the verge of nailing a reputed Russian mob boss. With bullets flying, it was all Sam could do to keep her quarry safe and her professional reputation intact. Because if they survived, she might just want to keep Matt for herself!
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âStrip and put these on.â
Matt cocked his head and grinned. âWith you watching, Ms. Ballanger?â
âIâm a trained medical professional,â Sam said coolly. A bit too coolly. Her indifference to visions of Matt Grangerâs naked body was pure bravado. She tightened her grip on her weapon as she tossed the pajamas to him.
He gave her another of those infuriating grins, then pulled his shirt over his headâ¦very slowly. She could see every muscle flexing. Tossing the shirt to the floor, he started to remove his jeans.
âI imagine a trained medical professionalâs seen it all, hasnât she?â
âPretty much.â She managed to leash her libido. But only by reminding herself about the cool $10K plus expenses sheâd collect at the end of the road. Right now that road was looking really long, hard and rocky. Donât think long. Donât think hard. Donât think rocks!
Dear Reader,
I pictured Sam Ballangerâs character as clearly as if Iâd met herâbecause I had! She resembles a good friend and former agent of mine, a petite but shapely brunette with a razor-sharp wit, a passion for money and an aversion to pushy men. What better nemesis than a tenacious reporter after a Pulitzer? Matt Granger is a young Tom Selleck, six-six to her five-four. Samâs adventures embody several of my favorite fantasiesâto excel at a dangerous job, to keep a powerful, sexy male under my complete control, even to have a quick comeback for every one of his wisecracks. She gets to drug and kidnap him, even cuff him to a motel bed! But then Matt turns the tables on her. What can I say? I love alpha women but I love alpha men even more!
Have fun,
Shirl Henke
For Jim,
who was my âsalsa suicideâ driver and, as always, helped with the punch lines
SHIRL HENKE
received her B.A. and M.A. in history from the University of Missouri and then worked at many different jobs, including running the circulation desk on a small daily, writing and editing âhouse organâ newspapers, administering a federal information program for the elderly and finally as a university instructor.
Ever since she was a child she read avidly, everything from Robert Heinleinâs sci-fi adventures to the big historical sagas of the 1970s and 1980s. She sold her first novel to Warner Books in 1986. Within two years, she was able to quit her day job. Now she canât imagine doing anything but writing for a living.
She and her husband, Jim, share their cedar house in the woods with an utterly spoiled and very geriatric tomcat. As with writing, life without cats would be unimaginable. For therapy when sheâs not at the computer, she cooks large dinners for their extended family, works in her garden and greenhouse, and still reads avidly. When deadlines permit, she loves to travel. Visit Shirl on the Web at www.shirlhenke.com.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This is my first venture into comedy/adventure. I think Bombshell and I were meant for each other! Lots of people helped make Sam and Mattâs story possible, beginning with all the friendly residents of Miami. You are as sunny and warm as your climate!
My husband, Jim, drove on my research trip to Miami. Besides navigating the metro area, he helped gather information. A former navy man, Jim wore a cap bearing the logo of his ship that opened many doors for a writer. Former marine turned tour guide and boat captain, Juan F. Campos regaled us with entertaining stories about the Intracoastal islands and suggested yachts and speedboats for the chase sequences.
At the U.S. Coast Guard Station on Terminal Island, Joel Aberbach, SO-PS DIV VI, of the Coast Guard Auxiliary explained which causeways were closed for boat traffic, the height of each causeway, the ebb and flow of tides affecting when larger craft might slip under them and the procedure for raising drawbridges.
Detective Juan Delcastillo of the Miami-Dade Police Department, Media Relations Section, furnished us with essential background information on the Russian mob in Miami, gave us neighborhoods where nefarious activities might take place and filled us in on all procedural matters regarding one of Americaâs largest and finest police organizations.
Growing up on the Mississippi, Jim and I knew nothing about oceangoing crafts. Mr. D. Larry Deitch, owner of a Tiara, was so kind as to give us a tour of his yacht, explaining how various mechanisms worked. The folks at Florida Yacht Charters and Sales were most helpful furnishing us with ideas about yachts and chase boatsâand they didnât even get to make a sale.
The experts furnished me with accurate information. Any errors are mine. If I fudged with a bit of literary license, I hope they forgive me.
Contents
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
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 1
âWhat a great set of buns,â Samantha Ballanger said under her breath with a low whistle. It wasnât professional, but then this wasnât an ordinary job.
