Unknown Enemy

THE BODYGUARD

For professor Ginny Anderson, translating a set of ancient tablets could be the coup of her career—or more danger than she can handle. Someone doesn’t want the secrets of the artifacts to be revealed…and they’ll kill to bury her discoveries. But former Secret Service agent Colin Tapping refuses to let anybody hurt Ginny and appoints himself as her protector—whether she wants one or not. Colin has made mistakes in the past, and keeping Ginny safe could be just what he needs to prove he’s still a capable agent and win back his job. But is he willing to risk paying the ultimate price to reclaim his former life?

“What do you want with me?”

She tried to step around him, clutching a satchel to her chest.

“You may be in danger, Ginny. The police aren’t sure where that stun grenade that was thrown last night came from and who it was meant for.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I don’t feel like I’m in danger.”

“Then why do you keep looking over your shoulder?”

“I—” She broke off, her eyes unfocused.

Colin knew that look. She was scared. “It’s going to be all right.” He tried to smile to put her at ease, but the gesture felt tight. “I’d like to look out for you.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.” She sidestepped him and walked away.

If the Secret Service had taught him anything, it was that threats lurked where you least expected them.

And he was right. She opened the car door, and the loud roar of an engine springing to life nearby sent him into alert.

And then he saw it. A white van sped down the parking lot aisle, right for Ginny.

MICHELLE KARL is an unabashed bibliophile and romantic suspense author. She lives in Canada with her husband and an assortment of critters, including a codependent cat and an opinionated parrot. When she’s not reading and consuming copious amounts of coffee, she writes the stories she’d like to find in her “to be read” pile. She also loves animals, world music and eating the last piece of cheesecake.

I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works;

and that my soul knoweth right well.

—Psalms 139:14

For Emily Z

May your translating never be fraught with peril But if it is, I’ve got your back

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

EPILOGUE

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

ONE

Virginia Anderson pushed back from the desk with a sigh, rubbing her tired eyes with a thumb and index finger. If she had to spend another hour in Rhoads, Pennsylvania’s Gwyn Ponth College library without seeing the fading October sunlight, she’d go stark raving mad. Of course, she thought, I have at least three more hours of documents to pore through, so what will that make me?

Taking the work home? Not an option. The combination of futon, fleece blanket, tea and heavy reading would put her right to sleep. Better to sit on a hard chair in a cool, quiet library and actually get her reading done.

“See you tomorrow, Ginny?”

Virginia—Ginny, to most everyone save her parents—waved at Donna, Gwyn Ponth College’s head librarian. “I’ll stick around until Roger comes in to start cleaning.”

Donna tut-tutted and shook her head. “You work too much, my dear. You part-timers aren’t paid nearly enough for the amount of hours you put in each and every day. If you’re not teaching, here you are. Don’t you ever sleep? You have a big meeting tomorrow, yes?”

“I only sleep if I have to.” Ginny laughed, waving Donna out the door. “Plus, it’s a meeting with a stuffy old grump from the museum. If I play it right, by this time next year I’ll have a tenure-track position and have made the historical discovery of a lifetime, and the lack of sleep will have been worth it.”

Donna swept out the door with a sympathetic smile. “I certainly hope so. Tell Roger I said hello.”

A smile crept into the corners of Ginny’s mouth. Since mid-September, Donna and one of the custodians had been leaving brief, affectionate notes and messages for each other through Ginny, though she’d never actually seen the head librarian and Roger meet in person. If only she could arrange it somehow, but Roger wasn’t a very chatty guy. He was a little on the shy side, and had a hard time making eye contact with others. It explained his hesitance to court the librarian in person, but Ginny was happy to be the go-between for them. It was sweet, and she thought Donna and Roger would make a cute couple.

As Ginny focused once more on the journal article in front of her, the lights in the room turned off with an audible click. Had Donna turned them off by accident, out of habit? “Not again, Dee,” she called. No response. The librarian must have left in a hurry. “Never mind, I’ll get it.”

This section of the library book stacks was dim enough to cause eye strain when all the lights were on, let alone having only the light from the emergency exit signs and the intruding outside light from streetlamps to navigate by. As she approached the light switch, a thump came from somewhere behind her. It sounded close. Had she left one of her books too close to the edge of the table?