GUARDING THE FIRST DAUGHTER
Stopping to pick up a file late at night, former presidentâs daughter Kayla Harris discovers her law office has been ransackedâand the culprit is still there. But undercover Secret Service agent Conner Thorne comes to her rescue, and he knows exactly who is after her...just not why. Conner and Kayla go way back to their time in the White House when she was the rebellious first daughter and he was the rookie who saved her neck. Now Conner will put his life on the line again to keep Kayla away from the mobster heâs investigating. And itâs about much more than his job, because this time the woman heâs sworn to protect is also the woman whoâs claimed his heart.
Dear Reader,
Iâm so glad youâve embarked with me on this new series! Iâm looking forward to seeing more into the lives of the men and women who are Secret Service agents.
Conner and Kayla had a history, one that was at times a joy and at times a pain to delve into. None of us want to hide our true feelings because circumstances donât allow us to express them, but that is what they had to do. It was wonderful to craft a story where God got the credit for bringing them back together.
I praise and thank Him for the ways He has done that in my life, and my prayer is that He will show you ways Heâs shown His mighty hand in your life.
If you want to tell me about it, feel free to email [email protected]. I would love to hear the story. You can also contact me through my website at www.authorlisaphillips.com and sign up for my newsletter while youâre there!
May God richly bless you.
Lisa Phillips
âHow close are you to finishing this undercover assignment?â Kayla asked.
âWeâre weeks away from making an arrest. Iâm only missing the last piece of the puzzle, and I can put this whole thing to bed.â
Kayla blew out a breath. âConner, this is huge.â
âAnd I donât want you getting caught in the middle of it. I donât know what Andis wants with you. All I know is that it wonât be good. Iâll protect you if I can, but if you even suspect youâre in danger you call the sheriff. Understand?â
Kayla nodded. âOf course. I just...wish there was a way to help.â
Conner took two steps toward her. âI donât want you anywhere near Andis.â
Being here with her, knowing that Kayla knew the truth of the man heâd been pretending to be for months, Conner felt right for the first time since...he didnât know. Maybe since that night ten years ago when Kayla had been in trouble and heâd saved her from what that man had planned.
He wouldnât leave her side until he knew she was safe.
LISA PHILLIPS is a British-born, tea-drinking, guitar-playing wife and mom of two. She and her husbandlead worship together at their local church. Lisa penshigh-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where youcan 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.
Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.
âPsalms 27:3
Iâm so thankful to God for inspiring me with another idea for a series. I hope you all enjoy reading them as much as Iâll enjoy writing these Secret Service books!
ONE
Kayla Harris shoved the key in the lock of her office door and glanced one more time down the dark hallway. Streetlights lit a swatch of the wood floor through the window at the end of the hall. Cold fingered the back of her neck, a sensation that hadnât let up all day. Not since that weird phone call this afternoon. It was probably all in her head that sheâd been able to hear someone breathing on the other end.
Why did she have to forget that file? She should be home. Safe.
For eight years she hadnât had a Secret Service detail to watch out for her, and not once had she thought she might need itâuntil right now. What was different tonight? The fear was probably all her imagination.
Kayla sighed, mostly at her overactive imagination, and turned the key. The door swung open before she could unlock it. She didnât move, just stood in the hall and looked inside.
Footsteps. Heavy shoes on the wood of the stairs ascended to the second floor above the Main Street bakery in Samson, Virginia. The only entrance and exit for the second floor. The rental space was at the north end of Main. Quaint town, nice people who had the decency toâfor the most partânot mention the things sheâd done as a young adult.
Since sheâd lived in the White House at the time, it meant that everyone in the country knew her story. A mother who had passed away from cancer, her father just reelected for his second term. Kayla had...gone off the rails, to put it pleasantly. But that was years ago, and she didnât need to be reminded of the White House or those days so soon after her mother had passed.