âItâs good to see you, Chili,â he said.
Yeah, right, I thought. Lie number one. âCanât say I feel the same way,â I said.
He ignored my dig. âIâm glad they found you. I was worried when I heard you were out trying to find some poor sucker who took a wrong turn.â
Lie number two. Jack OâBrien never worried about anything other than himself. âYouâre not welcome here, OâBrien. Do us both a favor and leave.â
Iâd hoped to see a flicker of hurt in those beautiful eyes, but none appeared. He stared back at me with the gaze that used to make my body hum with an all-consuming need.
âI simply came by to check up on Charlie.â
âSo you checked. Time to leave.â
He raised a single dark eyebrow, but didnât move. âYou look good. Mountain air seems to agree with you,â he said, as if we exchanged such pleasantries every day. âThings going okay for you?â
âJust fine. Thanks ever so much for asking.â
He waited, the stillness of his body putting me even more on edge. I didnât bother asking him how heâd been. There wasnât any need. No one asked about the condition of perfection.
Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,
This July, Intrigue brings you six sizzling summer reads. Theyâre the perfect beach accessory.
* We have three fantastic miniseries for you. Film at Eleven continues THE LANDRY BROTHERS by Kelsey Roberts. Gayle Wilson is back with the PHOENIX BROTHERHOOD in Take No Prisoners. And B.J. Daniels finishes up her MCCALLSâ MONTANA series with Shotgun Surrender.
* Susan Peterson brings you Hard Evidence, the final installment in our LIPSTICK LTD. promotion featuring stealthy sleuths. And, of course, we have a spine-tingling ECLIPSE title. This monthâs is Patricia Rosemoorâs Ghost Horse.
* Donât miss Dana Martonâs sexy stand-alone title, The Sheikâs Safety. When an American soldier is caught behind enemy lines, sheâll fake amnesia to guard her safety, but thereâs no stopping the sheik determined on winning her heart.
Enjoy our stellar lineup this month and every month!
Sincerely,
Denise OâSullivan
Senior Editor
Harlequin Intrigue
For my brother, Sam, who has lived through adversity and pain and come through it with his honor and integrity intact.
May you find the peace, love and understanding you seek in this rough journey through life.
A special thanks to Christine Wenger for all her help with the âins and outsâ of Syracuse, New York. Any mistakes are purely the fault of the authorâs.
A devoted Star Trek fan, Susan Peterson wrote her first science fiction novel at the age of thirteen. But as a hopeless romantic, Susan had to figure out a way to combine falling in love with a lifetime pursuit of total logic. After pursuing careers in intensive-care nursing and school psychology, Susan finally found the time to pursue a career in writing. An ardent fan of psychological thrillers and suspense, Susan combined her love of romance and suspense into several manuscripts targeted to the Harlequin Intrigue line. Getting the go-ahead to write for this line was a dream come true for her.
Susan lives in a small town in northern New York with her son, Kevin, her nutball dog, Ozzie, Phoenix the cat and Lex the six-toed menace (a new kitten). Susan loves to hear from readers. E-mail her at [email protected] or visit her Web site at www.susanpeterson.net.
Jack OâBrienâAn ex-cop turned paramedic, Jack harbors serious guilt about his testimony against his foster father on charges of bribery.
Killian âChili Pepperâ CrayâShocked when her former flame Jack OâBrien testified against their beloved foster father, Killian left Syracuse and vowed never to return.
Charlie OrzinskiâBeloved foster dad to troubled teens for much of his life, he is now in a deep coma following a suspicious hit-and-run accident.
Handler OrtegaâLocal crime boss whoâll do whatever it takes to get back vital information stolen from him regarding his criminal dealings.
Jeannette RenaultâFormer lover of Handler Ortega, and now married to a wealthy cardiac surgeon. Does this seemingly innocent suburbanite know more than sheâs willing to tell?
Craig GibsonâCharlieâs lawyer, a man found murdered in Charlieâs apartment.
Caroline PrattâGibsonâs law partner and known to represent Handler Ortega in a variety of shady legal matters.
Sweetie PieâCharlieâs nasty, mangy Maine Coon cat. Now Killianâs responsibility.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
If there was one thing I never expected to have to do in this lifetime, it was to stand over Charlie Orzinski and worry about whether he was going to live or die. Mainly because Iâve always believed Charlie was indestructible, the ultimate Man of Steel.
But the fact that he was in the I.C.U. of Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, N.Y., unconscious and hooked up to every machine known to modern man, showed me just how wrong I was. The trauma docs had given him less than a sixty-percent chance of survival.