âSmart as you are, Mr. Gallagher, you donât know everything.â
âAre you always this much trouble, Officer Murdock?â
âPretty much.â
They werenât touching, but they were both breathing hard as the furtive exchange of tempers and opinions mutated into a different kind of heat. Their breaths mingled and their chests nearly brushed against each other with every inhale. Her head filled with the spicy scent of shaving cream or soap on his skin. Her body warmed with the proximity of his body lined up with hers. She wasnât even aware of the holster poking into her backside anymore. Quinnâs gaze fixated on her lips and Miranda couldnât look away from those laser blue eyes.
But she did. She had to. It was time she remembered why she was hereâand the little girl sheâd been hired to protect.
Julie Miller attributes her passion for writing romance to all those fairy tales she read growing up, and to shyness. Encouragement from her family to write down all those feelings she couldnât express became a love for the written word. She gets continued support from her fellow members of the Prairieland Romance Writers, where she serves as the resident âgrammar goddess.â This award-winning author and teacher has published several paranormal romances. Inspired by the likes of Agatha Christie and Encyclopedia Brown, Ms. Miller believes the only thing better than a good mystery is a good romance.
Born and raised in Missouri, she now lives in Nebraska with her husband, son and smiling guard dog, Maxie. Write to Julie at P.O. Box 5162, Grand Island, NE 68802-5162.
Quinn Gallagher âCEO and genius behind Gallagher Security Systems. A self-made billionaire whose inventions have revolutionized police and security work around the world. A man whose success got his wife killed, and is now endangering the one love left in his life, his daughter.
Miranda "Randy" Murdock âSharpshooter with KCPD's premier SWAT Team 1. Tough and highly-trained. This tomboy has the skills and determination to prove herself in a man's world, but she's out of her depth when it comes to masquerading as a nanny for an adorable little girlâ¦and falling for her charge's widowed father.
Fiona Gallagher âThree years old. Curious and feminine and crazy about her daddy.
Louis Nolan âQuinn's right-hand man at GSS. He keeps the investors happy.
David Damiani âHe runs security at GSS headquarters.
Elise Brown âQuinn's executive assistant is loyal to the company. Or is it her boss she's so attached to?
Ozzie Chang âA lab geek at GSS. Quinn sees a lot of himself in the young man.
Nikolai Titov âGSS's largest foreign investor.
Vasily Gordeeva âQuinn's father-in-law has been in prison for a long time.
John Murdock âRandy's big brother is a Marine stationed overseas. But he's had a second career bailing his kid sister out of trouble.
Prologue
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
âStart the countdown.â
The armed driver in the modified camo uniform floored the accelerator, forcing his five passengers to hold on for their lives as they bounced over the ruts and sand and scrub brush of the arid terrain. âI recommend waiting until we get to a safe distance.â
The one person not wearing mock military garb clung to the Hummerâs passenger seat. âAnd I recommend you follow my orders to the letter. Thatâs why Iâm paying you, isnât it?â
âPart of my job is to protect you. There could be fallout here.â
âI didnât come all this way to miss the show. I want to be here at the beginning, just as Iâm looking forward to being there at the endâwhen I see his face and can revel in his failure.â The anticipation of seeing that arrogant face downcast in broken sorrow, his eyes filled with tears, his clipped voice perhaps begging for mercy, was enough to make one light-headed. Or maybe it was this bone-jarring ride across the Kalahari that was affecting rational thought. The boss gripped the door handle and dashboard and turned to the driver. âPush the button.â
Surrendering to the inevitable winner in this battle of wills, the driver pulled the tiny remote-control switch box from his shirt pocket and activated the countdown. He set the device in his lap, but refused to stop the vehicle. Supposedly, that was the sign of a good leaderâputting the safety and well-being of his team first. Too bad not every man in this world believed that.
âAnother mile between us and the facility wonât make any difference on this terrain.â The driver slowed his speed a fraction and handed over a pair of military-grade binoculars, ironically designed by Quinn Gallagher, owner of the facility that was growing smaller and smaller beyond the swirl of dust in the vehicleâs side-view mirror. âHere. Take these. Youâll be able to watch the sweat beading on their foreheads when they realize theyâve got no place to run or hide.â