The unknown soldier
He may have lost his memory, but not his mercenary skills. And once Jack Coburn learned his real name, he sought out the woman who could help him piece together the rest of his past. Lola Famosa had hired the green beret months ago to find her missing brother. And that mission had nearly cost him his life.
But locating the lovely doctor presented new dangers. Someone was determined to keep Lola from her quest, and her life hung in the balance. Jackâs first concern might have been regaining his memory, but now it was all about protecting Lola. For she was the one thing this loner was determined to keep.
âNothingâs ringing any bells.â Except Lola in those jeans as she bent over the drawer. That rang his bells.
She spun around, pinching a card between two fingers. âGot it.â
âItâs a start. Maybe this guy can tell me if I have a home, a familyâ¦a wife.â
Lolaâs long, dark lashes fluttered. âI doubt it.â
He plucked the card from her fingers and slipped it into his back pocket. âYou doubt I have a home, a family and a wife?â
âYou may have a home and a family, but no self-respecting wife would allow her husband to go gallivanting around the world saving other peopleâs families.â Her jaw formed a hard line as if daring him to dispute her logic.
âI donât know about that.â He held up his left hand. âBut I donât feel married.â
Could he be lusting after this hot doctor if he were?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carol Ericson lives with her husband and two sons in Southern California, home of state-of-the-art cosmetic surgery, wild freeway chases, palm trees bending in the Santa Ana winds and a million amazing stories. These stories, along with hordes of virile men and feisty women, clamor for release from Carolâs head. It makes for some interesting headaches until she sets them free to fulfill their destinies and her readersâ fantasies. To find out more about Carol, her books and her strange headaches, please visit her website at www.carolericson.com, âwhere romance flirts with danger.â
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Jack CoburnâHe has a name on a piece of paper and a million bucks in a suitcase, but no memory. He turns to a beautiful Cuban-American doctor to help him find his way, but ends up bringing danger to her doorstepâ¦in more ways than one.
Lola FamosaâHer brother is missing in Afghanistan and now the man she hired to negotiate his release is back in Miami with no recollection of his mission and a target on his back. She jumps at the chance to help him regain his memory, but fears that his old life will torpedo their growing attraction.
Gabriel FamosaâA research scientist, he was kidnapped to further a terrorist plot. Will the man his sister sent to rescue him regain his memory in time to save him? Or will he be complicit in a plan to hold the world hostage to terrorist demands?
Emilio DiazâA shady associate of Lolaâs crime-boss father, he may just hold the key to Jackâs identityâ¦if heâs not killed first.
Eddie HidalgoâThis young boy is Dr. Famosaâs favorite patient, but being close to Dr. Famosa has its risks.
Dr. Lesley JeromeâA psychiatrist at Miami Hope Hospital, Dr. Jerome is willing to help Jack try to regain his memories by any means necessary.
Hector VillagrandeâThe man who murdered Eddieâs mother has a grudge against Lola, and getting out of jail on a technicality allows him plenty of opportunity to get even.
FaroukâProsperoâs former nemesis has expanded his business model and taken his terror worldwide, and this time itâs personal.
Colonel ScrippsâProsperoâs coordinator, the colonel knows he can summon all of the former team members with one call. He just hopes itâs not too late to save Prosperoâs leader, Jack Coburn.
For Margery. Thanks for keeping me company in âThe Loungeâ.
Prologue
An invisible net tightened around Jack Coburn.
His gaze flicked to the black suit with the dark shades. Was he speaking into his lapel? A man at two oâclock straightened his shoulders and reached beneath his jacket. Was he going for a gun?
Adrenaline spiraled through Jackâs body, and the hair on the back of his neck stood at attention. Heâd arrived in Miami under an assumed name. Did the suits know that fake name? Had they given him that name?
Shifting his eyes to the left, he marked another suspicious person, this one dressed in a loud aloha shirt and talking to himself. Jack picked them out with the ease of a bloodhound on a scentâ¦only he was the prey.
Hanging back a moment, Jack slipped his hand through the arm of a pretty blonde whoâd given him a dazzling smile in the coach section of the airplane. She let out a little gasp and Jack ducked his head, his lip close to her ear.