Alessandro Donato.
Tall, dark and mysterious.
The quintessential playboy, or so the rumors went. Hero in disguise or con man with an agenda?
Colleen would give the charming Italian the benefit of the doubt, since Alessandro had protected Holly and Jake when theyâd needed it.
But if Alessandro Donato was up to no good, sheâd nail his hide to the wall all over the front page of the Colorado Springs Sentinel, regardless of how attractive she found him.
FAITH AT THE CROSSROADS: Can faith and love sustain two families against a diabolical enemy?
A TIME TO PROTECTâLois Richer (LIS#13)
THE DANGER WITHINâValerie Hansen (LIS#15)
THROUGH THE FIREâSharon Mignerey (LIS#17)
IN THE ENEMYâS SIGHTSâMarta Perry (LIS#19)
STRICTLY CONFIDENTIALâTerri Reed (LIS#21)
HEARTS ON THE LINEâMargaret Daley (LIS#23)
grew up in a small town nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. To entertain herself, she created stories in her head. And when she put those stories to paper, her teachers in grade school, high school and college encouraged her imagination. Living in Italy as an exchange student whetted her appetite for travel, and modeling in New York, Chicago and San Francisco gave her a love for the big city, as well. She has also coached gymnastics and taught in a preschool. She enjoys walks on the beach, hikes in the mountains and exploring cities. From a young age she attended church, but it wasnât until her thirties that she really understood the meaning of a faith-filled life. Now living in Portland, Oregon, with her college-sweetheart husband, two wonderful children, a rambunctious Australian shepherd and a fat guinea pig, she feels blessed to be able to share her stories and her faith with the world. She loves to hear from readers at P.O. Box 19555, Portland, OR, 97280.
Strictly Confidential
Terri Reed
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to
Terri Reed for her contribution to the FAITH AT THE CROSSROADS miniseries. Thank you to Diane Dietz and Steeple Hill for this opportunity to work on this series. I had such fun working with and learning from the other authors.
Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.
â James 4:8
Alessandro Donato âTall, dark and handsome, he showed up wherever there was trouble. Was Alessandro working for the European Union, as he claimed, or for the bad guys reviving the drug trade in Colorado Springs?
Colleen Montgomery âHer reporterâs nose smelled a story brewingâ¦and Alessandro was her prime target. But would her curiosity get her killed?
Dahlia Sainsbury âThe museum curator wanted Colleen out of the pictureâbecause she wanted Alessandro for herself or was there a more devious motive?
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
EPILOGUE
DEAR READER
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
âT his is strictly confidential. Off the record. Mumâs the word.â
Colleen Montgomery paused in the act of pulling out a navy business suit from her closet to arch a brow at her sister-in-law, Holly.
Holly flipped back her long dark-brown hair, which sheâd curled and wore loose rather than in her traditional ponytail. âIâm serious. You canât tell anyone what Iâm about to tell you.â
Grimacing, Colleen stared. âThatâs like asking me not to breathe.â
Holly rolled her brown eyes. âAnd youâre not wearing that suit. Youâre wearing the dress I brought you.â
Rehanging the suit, Colleen gestured with her hands. âHello. Iâm an investigative reporter. My life is about telling everyone what I see and hear.â
âPromise me, okay?â Holly shifted on the bed where sheâd sat as soon as sheâd entered Colleenâs bedroom. She was wearing a pretty lilac party dress that flattered her even with her bulging tummy, and sheâd come in on the pretext of bringing a dress for Colleen to wear to the museum gala. Now, however, Colleen suspected her sister-in-law had another agenda, one that brought worry to her pretty brown eyes and marred the normally smooth skin between her brunette eyebrows.
âIs this about my brother?â Colleen moved to her vanity to brush her blond hair. ââCause if it is, Iâm not sure I want to hear it.â
Holly twisted her diamond wedding ring. âIt is about him and me.â
Colleen held up a hand and met Hollyâs gaze through the mirrorâs reflection. âI can already tell this is going to be more information than I want to hear about my big brother. Unless heâs dragged you back into the FBI with him, in which case Iâll go clobber him on the head. Considering youâre carrying my niece or nephew, the FBI is not a good place for you.â
Holly grinned and patted her burgeoning belly. âNo, of course not.â She lifted the sheath dress off the bed. âHere, put this on while I explain.â
Eyeing the little black shift with trepidation, Colleen said, âYou really think I should wear that?â