She knew where heâd be.
Whatever location had the best advantage for watching the dock.
Starting at the back, Sasha worked her way from office to office, carefully scanning each room. So far, empty offices with desks, but no sign of Kane.
Was she in the wrong place? The next two offices had closed doors. She put her shoulder to the first door and forced it open. In the room, the window was open a crack, just enough for the barrel of a rifle.
âI thing Iâve found something,â she muttered into her communicator as she studied the interior of the room. âIâm alone, but someoneâs been here recently.â
Before she could react, a shadow stepped out from behind the filing cabinet and grabbed her, shoving the barrel of a gun under her chin and forcing her head back.
âHello, lover,â Sasha murmured.
Dear Reader,
Like the fast-paced holiday season, Silhouette Bombshell is charged with energy, and weâre thrilled to bring you an unforgettable December reading experience. Our strong, sexy, savvy women will have you cheering, gasping and turning pages to see what happens next!
Let USA TODAY bestselling author Lindsay McKenna sweep you away to Peru in Sister of Fortune, part of the SISTERS OF THE ARK miniseries. This military heroine must retrieve a sacred artifact from dangerous hands. The last thing she needs is a sexy man she canât trustâtoo bad she has to work with one!
Check out Debra Webbâs Justice, the latest in the ATHENA FORCE continuity series. Police lieutenant Kayla Ryan will risk everything to find her murdered friendâs long-lost child and bring down an enemy who is closer than she ever suspectedâ¦.
In Night Life, by Katherine Garbera, a former spy turned mother and wife finds herself drawn back into clandestine games when her former agency calls her in to catch a rogue agentâher estranged husband.
And donât miss Patricia Rosemoorâs Hot Case, the story of a detective who enters her twin sisterâs dark world of wannabe vampiresâand maybe the real thingâto find out why dead bodies are disappearing almost before her eyes.
As an editor, I am often asked what Iâm looking for in a Bombshell novel. Well, I want to know what youâre looking for as a reader. Please send your comments to me, c/o Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.
Best wishes,
Natashya Wilson
Associate Senior Editor, Silhouette Bombshell
is an award-winning, bestselling author for Harlequin and Silhouette Books. Garbera started making up stories for her own benefit when she was on a competitive swim team in high school. Though she went to Florida State and usually medaled at swim meets, Katherine says her heart wasnât in swimming but rather in the stories she created as she swam laps at practice. Katherine holds a red belt in the martial art of Tae Kwon Do and vows that thereâs not a piece of plywood out there that can take her in a fair match! Readers can visit her on the Web at katherinegarbera.com.
In loving memory of Priscilla Tromblay, my paternal grandmother, who lived life on her own terms with a fierce and independent spirit.
Thanks for showing me that anything can be accomplished if you work hard enough at it.
Thanks to Rob Elser for answering my many questions about life in London and the U.K.
Thanks to Janet Justiss for helping me with the French dialogueâany mistakes are my own!
Thanks to Mary Louise Wells for helping with the initial polish of the proposal; Eve Gaddy for just always being there when I called; and Beverly Brandt for her helpful advice on writing a bigger story.
As always, thanks to my family, who are always supportive of whatever idea I have.
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
The fact that our task is exactly as large as our life makes it infinite.
âFranz Kafka
The wind shifted to blow from the north but no sound emerged from the surrounding woods. The silence was unnatural. Nightshade tensed, every sense on hyperalert.
Nothing was hidden from her vantage point. In the clearing near the chopper was a puddle of darkness. It could just be shadows from the clouds covering the moon, but she sensed a human presence there.
Townsend. As smart as he was lethal, Elias Townsend had once been a master spy for Her Majestyâs Intelligence Agency. Frustrated with agency bureaucracy, heâd crossed over to the life of a criminal and never looked back. A tall, thin man with a wiry build, Townsend was a challenging adversary.
Her father had taught her to respect the enemy. Because when you got cocky you got dead. Nightshade didnât want to dieâshe was still young and had too much to live for. Her old man had learned that security was an illusion and had raised Nightshade to protect both herself and those weaker than she was.
Except sheâd done a piss-poor job of saving her childhood pal, Senator Ellinghamâs son, Perry. At least she had evened the score by killing Townsendâs right-hand man.