PROTECTING THE PRESIDENT
Amid the idyllic scenery of Hawaii, rookie Secret Service agent Alana Preston is attacked, and a sinister plot to assassinate the president begins taking shape. But nobody seems to believe Alana, and she doesnât know who she can trustâexcept Secret Service director James Locke. Now, with an assassin hiding in plain sight on the island, she and James may be the presidentâs last line of defense. The closer they get to cracking the case, however, the more intertwined their lives become. And they must fight to keep their hearts out of it. With the life of the commander-in-chief in their hands, falling in love could be a deadly distraction...
âAlana, can you hear me?â
Locke wanted to make her wake up, but it was probably a good thing she wasnât conscious to feel her injuries.
She moaned. Locke gathered her closer to him and put his chin on her head. If someone had wanted to distract them, theyâd succeeded. They had hit Locke in the place where it hurt the most and forced him to turn his mission from the presidentâs safety to taking care of his partner. Because he was going to make sure Alana was safe.
Somewhere along the way she had become more important to him than his job, and Locke was never going to apologize for that.
As he looked down at his unconscious partner, Locke realized that if he was going to save the president, he had to set aside his feelings for Alana. If it could be used against him, then it was a liability. And liabilities cost him his job. If the president was killed because Locke was distracted by Alana, all of them would lose.
He had to let her go.
Dear Reader,
So often our past defines us. And so often we allow other peopleâs expectations to change the course of our lives. But Godâs way is freedom. Itâs life.
In Him we find the fulfillment of all the promise weâre unable to drum up in our own lives. His path is so much better, richer, fuller. And itâs this grace, this goodness poured out in us that gives us strength to fight against those things that weigh us down.
My prayer for you in reading this book is that God continues to work in you that message of Himself and that you will go forward one more step in the journey.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email me at [email protected], as I would love to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Lisa Phillips
LISA PHILLIPS is a British-born tea-drinking, guitar-playing wife and mom of two. She and her husband lead worship together at their local church. Lisa pens high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in a happily-ever-after. She understands that faith is a work in progress more exciting than any story she can dream up. You can find out more about her books at authorlisaphillips.com.
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.
âPsalms 68:5
Thank you to all my Hawaii friends for all your information, and my hubs, who suffered through a research trip over our anniversary!
ONE
It was hard not to think about sharks, sitting on a surfboard off the coast of Hawaii. Secret Service agent Alana Preston could see the hotel, and the faintest hint of dawn reflected in the wall of windows as she bobbed up and down on the ocean. Soon enough sheâd have to get back to her duties, but for now Alana intended to enjoy this moment and not think of sharksâor how so many of the humans sheâd met had a bite far worse than the predators.
At least for an hour out on the water she could forget that sheâd torn up her knee all those years ago and destroyed her chance to surf competitively. She could forget that sheâd moved to the mainland to be a Secret Service agent. She could forget the fact that she hadnât called home since she left.
Working at the White House was everything sheâd imagined and nothing like sheâd thought it would be at the same time. She was exactly where she wanted to be: on the front lines of the Secret Service.
But Hawaii would always be home.
Alana was part of the advance team setting up for the presidentâs impending visit, and though there was almost no time for anything but work, if her boss, James Locke, could make time for a morning run, she could surf. Sheâd seen the director leave the hotel in his running clothes and set out along the beach maybe forty-five minutes ago. Alana was the rookie on the team, which meant Locke would have his stern, chocolate-colored eyes on her until she could prove herself. Too bad every time he looked at her she wanted to squirm under his attention. Why did he have to be so handsome?
Not that anything was going to happen. She was way too busy proving herself, making it so that she was the kind of person her father wouldâve been proud of. Alana looked over at the mountains, then to the shadow of the rest of Hawaiiâs islands on the horizon. Iâm almost there, Dad. She was so close to losing the rookie title she could feel it. Iâve nearly done it. Just like I said I would.