ISBN: 9781408947463
Ricochet
© Jessica S. Andersen 2006
First Published in Great Britain in 2011
Harlequin (UK) Limited Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
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www.millsandboon.co.uk
Though sheâs tried out professions ranging from cleaning sea lion cages to cloning glaucoma genes, from patent law to training horses, Jessica is happiest when sheâs combining all these interests with her first love: writing romances. These days sheâs delighted to be writing full-time on a farm in rural Connecticut that she shares with a small menagerie and a hero named Brian. She hopes youâll visit her at www.JessicaAndersen.com for information on upcoming books, contests and to say hi!
Alissa WyattâBear Claw Cityâs new crime-scene artist wants to put down roots, but instead attracts the attention of a sinister serial kidnapper.
Tucker McDermottâIn trying to protect Alissa from escalating danger, the footloose detective winds up with a partnerâ¦and a whole lot more. Will the growing attraction be enough to keep him in town? More important, will they both live long enough to find out?
Johnny FergusonâThe serial rapist vowed revenge when Alissa helped capture and convict him years earlier. Now heâs out and looking for payback.
Cassie Dumont and Maya CooperâAlissaâs two best friends and coworkers in the forensics department want to keep her safe and catch the kidnapper, but interdepartmental politics may endanger them all.
Detectives Piedmont and MendozaâThe partners donât trust Alissa or her friends. How far will they go to prove that Bear Claw doesnât need a new forensics department?
Bradford CroftâThe unassuming man lives next door to the first kidnap victim. He was previously convicted of a sex offense, but the evidence doesnât seem to directly link him to the kidnappings.
Michael SwopesâWith a rap sheet and a suspicious purchase, Swopes seems like a strong suspect. But where is he?
William ParryâThe chief of the Bear Claw police department will do anything to weld his officers into a team and find the Canyon Kidnapper.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CAST OF CHARACTERS
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
Chapter Fourteen
COMING NEXT MONTH
The collector unlocked the door with fingers that trembled, not from the cold but from excitement. He eased the shed open and let the cold winter sun splash across the soiled floorboards, let it touch the girlâs bare, chilled foot.
She stirred and her dusky-blond eyelashes fluttered as though she still fought the drugs that swam in her bloodstream.
His lips curved into a smile and he whispered, âPerfect.â She was perfect. Young and scared and too weak to run away, just the way he liked them. âSheâs perfect.â
But you canât keep her, a voice said nearby, or maybe inside his head. Stick to the plan.
The collector scowled. âI donât want to. Iâm going to keep her. Sheâs mine. I picked her out. I took her. I can keep her.â
No you canât. Stick to the planâor else.
It wasnât the tone of angerâwhether real or imaginedâthat changed the collectorâs mind. It was the slice of fear that slipped into his chest, colder than the Colorado winter, reminding him of what would happen if he disobeyed.
âOkay, fine. Never mind. Iâll do it.â He opened the shed door wider and shook out the blanket heâd carried from his van. He leaned over and wrapped the girl, not to keep her warm, but to cover her from view, just in case. Then he lifted her off the dirty floor and carried her out into the light. He felt the snow crunch beneath his boots, heard the others calling to him from their sheds, and smiled.