BODYGUARD REUNION
Narrowly escaping thugs who held her at knifepoint, lawyer Olivia Hammond turns to the man who once broke her heart, bodyguard Salvatore Santonni, for protection. However, when an anonymous caller reveals her boss has been kidnapped and will die if she doesnât comply with demands, she wishes she hadnât asked for help. Especially since the first order is to tell no one. But with someone determined to get something they think Olivia has, Sal wonât back down. He canât let anything happen to the woman he never stopped loving. And as they uncover the truth, Sal and Olivia quickly learn that the threat is much more deadly than they ever would have guessed.
âYou might be able to hide your feelings from others, but not from me,â Sal said.
He looked at Olivia and added, âYour expression gives you away every time.â
When she started to put her hands to her cheeks, he stopped her. âDonât try to hide. Not from me.â
Deliberately, Olivia backed away from him and the touch that could still turn her inside out.
She knew she was putting off the inevitable, and she hated the fact that she felt cowardly for doing so. Sheâd never been one to shirk from her responsibility, but now...now she didnât know where her duty lay.
Sal took her hand and squeezed it. âRight now, weâre operating in the dark. We donât know whoâs doing this. We donât know what they want. We need something, anything, to give us a handle on this.â
âOkay,â she said reluctantly.
âYouâre doing the right thing.â
Was she? She didnât know.
Olivia looked up at Sal, not surprised to find his eyes flat and dark. He was all Delta at the moment.
Good. She had a feeling she was going to need his special set of skills and training.
Dear Reader,
I hope you have enjoyed Sal and Oliviaâs story.
When I started this series several years ago, I wasnât certain I could tell Salâs story as he wanted it told. He is a strong man with a gentle side, as the best men are. But I didnât understand him until I realized that he was struggling to forgive himself. And then I knew I could write about him, because I struggle to forgive myself as well. Olivia helped Sal remember that the Lord is always on his side, always ready to forgive him.
Sal and Olivia didnât have an easy time of it. Their love path was punctuated with embezzlers and killers. Most of us wonât have to deal with that kind of conflict, but we, like Olivia and Sal, have to work at keeping our love alive and strong. With the Lordâs help, we can find our own happy endings.
With love in the Lord,
Jane
JANE M. CHOATE dreamed of writing from the time she was a small child when she entertained friends with outlandish stories complete with happily-ever-after endings. Writing for Love Inspired Suspense is a dream come true. Jane is the proud mother of five children, grandmother to seven grandchildren and the staff to one cat who believes she is of royal descent.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy and to all them that call upon thee.
âPsalms 86:5
To Dina Davis, editor, whose suggestions for this book made it much richer and stronger.
To my friends at Front Range Christian Fiction Writers. Thank you for all the encouragement and support.
ONE
A hiss of energy brushed her face as the deadly blade cleaved the air a scant inch from her cheek.
Olivia Hammond forced herself to remain still. To move even a fraction would cause the knife to slice open her skin. She dared not breathe until the need for oxygen forced her to take a noisy gulp of air.
âAh, I see I have your attention. Now you will tell us where you hid it. Maybe we will kill you quickly rather than taking our time about it.â The heavily accented voice held no particular menace, as though the man who pressed the weapon to her face was discussing a business transaction rather than taking her life.
âOr we will be forced to encourage you to tell us.â This was from the second man who had said little during the interrogation.
The two intruders had already ransacked the law offices of Chantry & Hammond. It had been her misfortune to return for a file and run into them.
âI donât know what youâre talking about.â How many times had she uttered those words? The effort of not moving and the fear of what the men intended to do to her had dulled her energy and her wits.
Donât give up. The small voice inside her head had her sitting up straighter despite the duct tape binding her to the chair. She was far from beaten. Her passion for defending the underdog had earned her a reputation for taking no prisoners, both in and out of the courtroom. She called upon that now.
It was up to her to free herself. No one was coming to her aid. Immediately her mind rejected that. There was always One who was at her side.