Man Of Action
He was a man of action—especially when it came to protecting his new undercover partner…At ninenteen, Andrea Gordon's life was forever changed. After proving herself instrumental in a bank hostage crisis, she became one of Omega Sector's top agents. Four years later, her skill at reading people is unrivaled—until she meets fellow profiler Brandon Han. Paired together to track a serial killer who has been targeting at-risk women, the two become entangled beyond the case. Their mutual attraction deepens as they get closer to the truth. But when Andrea's own sordid past surfaces, they will both be forced to question everything about the assignment…and each other.
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He walked up to Andrea, careful to come at her slowly and from the side so he didnât sneak up on her in any way.
âHi.â He kept his voice even, calm. âWhat are you doing out here? Everything okay?â
She looked at him, then back at the parking lot. Without being obvious about it, Brandon withdrew his weapon from the holster at his side. Had she seen something to do with the case?
âAndrea.â His voice was a little stronger now. âWhatâs going on? Is it something to do with the murders? Did you see something or did someone threaten you?â
She kept staring.
âAndrea, look at me.â
She finally turned to him, hair plastered to her head from the rain, makeup beginning to smear on her face.
âI need you to tell me whatâs happening so I can do something about it.â
JANIE CROUCH has loved to read romance her whole life. She cut her teeth on Mills & Boon Romance novels as a preteen, then moved on to a passion for romantic suspense as an adult. Janie lives with her husband and four children overseas. She enjoys traveling, long-distance running, movie watching, knitting and adventure/obstacle racing. You can find out more about her at www.janiecrouch.com.
To Anu-Riikka, because you talk me down from the ledge with almost every single book. Thank you for listening to me for hours on end and for offering a fresh perspective when I canât see clearly any longer. Youâre the greatest buddy a writer could have.
Contents
Andrea Gordon huddled inside her car in the bank parking lot as pandemonium reigned all around her. Cops, SWAT, ambulances and other emergency vehicles she didnât even recognize flooded the area. Blue and red lights flashed in a rhythm that drummed brutally against her eyes. Officers pointed assault rifles toward the building. People ran back and forth.
Just behind the roped-off section, news crews formed the next layer of people, their lights and cords and equipment adding to the chaos.
Beyond that were the witnesses, the gawkers, hoping to catch something exciting. Andrea wasnât sure what would pacify them. A chase? Bullets? A dead body? Smartphones recorded the scene from every angle.
Three men had taken sixteen people hostage after an attempted robbery had gone wrong in a bank just outside Phoenix, Arizona. Andrea wouldâve been one of those sixteen, but she had seen the signs on the robbersâ faces when theyâd first walked in.
Danger. Violence.
Andrea was only nineteen years old, but she was an expert at spotting the approach of danger. Maybe she should be thankful for all the times sheâd had to discern it in her uncle to avoid his fists. Either way, it had gotten her out of that bank before the trouble went down.
The men hadnât come in together, but they were definitely working as a team; Andrea had immediately seen that. It was obvious to her that they werenât afraid to hurt, even to kill. Simmering violence was a vibe she was very attuned to.
Two of the men fairly buzzed with it. Excited about taking money that wasnât theirs and maybe taking a life, too. But it was the third man, who stood completely still and broadcast almost no outward emotions at all, that scared her the most.
Sheâd waited a minute longer, studying them while pretending to fill in a deposit slip, in case she was wrong. The two hyped-up guys were making their way back toward the bank managerâs office. The other man, the scary one, stood against a side wall, a briefcase in his hand. He caressed it with a loverâs touch.
He felt her eyes and turned to her, giving a smile so dark, so full of violence, Andrea had turned and nearly run out of the bank. Sheâd felt his eyes follow her as she left.
Sheâd been the last one out. Not two minutes after her exit, shots had been fired inside. The robbery soon turned into a hostage situation. Once out, Andrea had hidden in her car, parked in the back of the bank lot, and watched as the police arrived minutes later, then observers, then press.
Andrea wouldâve been escorted back with the observers if anyone had known she was in her car. Sheâd been so scared at the third manâs evil smile, she had literally melted herself into the driverâs seat of her vehicle, curling into a ball and protecting her head and face with her arms.
Sheâd learned long ago that position didnât stop pain, but at least this time it had kept her away from anyoneâs view. The uniformed officer who had been in charge of security and taping off the parking lot had walked right by Andreaâs car without even seeing her in the dimming hours of twilight.
