Desperate times call for desperate measures
And Travis Riggs is way past desperate. With time running out to overturn his brothers wrongful murder conviction and stop his nieces adoption, Project Justice is Traviss last hope. But when his request for an interview is denied, he resorts to drastic measureskidnapping the founders personal assistant, Elena Marquez.
Travis hadnt planned for any of this to happen, least of all the chemistry between him and Elena. Under different circumstances, they may have had a chance at a relationship. However, the last thing he wants is to drag her down with him, which is exactly what will happen if he accepts her help. Not that Elena is giving him much of a choice.
Travis enjoyed the playful conversation way more than he should have
It was almost as if they were on a first dateflirting. With each snippet Elena revealed about herself, his admiration for her grew.
He suddenly wished he had met her at some other point in his life, instead of this desperate moment. When was the last time hed flirted with a woman? Had to be Judith.
Had he ever even known what it felt like to simply enjoy the company of a woman? Hed spent his youth staying alive, keeping his brother on track. Then there was the army, prison, his businessand Judith. Nothing about his ex-wife had been simple. Every encounter with her had been fraught with the stress of trying to meet her expectations.
His heart ached unexpectedly with what could never benot with Elena, and probably not with anyone. By the time he got out of prison this time, hed be an old man, and Elena would be married to someone else with a houseful of children, even grandchildren.
Another Project Justice story where fighting injustice can lead to finding love!
Dear Reader,
Being kidnapped would have to be in my top five fears. Maybe Ive watched too many serial killer true crime shows. But I wanted to do a book where the heroine was kidnapped, tapping into my own primal emotions.
The kidnapping romance plot is an oldie but a goodie; the trick is to make it fresh for modern readers. I chose to place most of my focus on what happens after the hostage situation ends. How do two people who had such an unpromising start ever forge a relationship?
I have to give credit to my feisty heroine, Elena, for going after what she wants despite everyone in her world telling her shes wrong. Im not sure Id be as determined, or as forgiving. But then, if I wrote about a heroine who was me, it might not make a very good book. (I dont have much drama in my life!)
Hope you enjoy Elena's and Traviss adventure!
Kara Lennox
In This Together
Kara Lennox
www.millsandboon.co.uk
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kara Lennox has earned her living at various times as an art director, typesetter, textbook editor and reporter. Shes worked in a boutique, a health club and an ad agency. Shes been an antiques dealer, an artist and even a blackjack dealer. But no work has ever made her happier than writing romance novels. To date, she has written more than sixty books. Kara is a recent transplant to Southern California. When not writing, she indulges in an ever-changing array of hobbies. Her latest passions are bird-watching, long-distance bicycling, vintage jewelry and, by necessity, do-it-yourself home renovation. She loves to hear from readers. You can find her at www.karalennox.com.
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For my writing support/brainstorming group: Tessa Dare, Laura Drake and Susan Squires. You all have no idea how much you inspire me.
Contents
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
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE
TRAVIS RIGGS LOOKED up at the imposing wrought-iron gate, and for the first time in his life he knew what the word awe truly meant. Who the hell had a gate like this? Who needed a gate like this? What was Daniel Logan protecting? This ostentatious show of wealth didnt jibe with the Daniel Logan hed heard about, the one whod spent six years on death row for a murder he didnt commit, the one whod devoted his life to helping other men and women whod been falsely convicted of serious crimes.
He wondered if this was some wild-goose chase.
Still, Travis had come too far to turn back. Whoever Daniel Logan was, he was the last hope for saving Eric. Travis had put on his best shirt and his newest pair of jeans, the ones that werent yet paint spattered. His work boots werent exactly classy, but it was that or beat-up athletic shoes. He didnt have much call for dressing up in his normal life.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed the buzzer.
Yes, may I help you? The husky female voice was unexpected. Whoever she was, she had an accent, not strong but exotic nonetheless. A picture came into his mind of a sultry Spanish flamenco dancer.
Yes, my name is Travis Riggs. Ive come to see Daniel Logan.
Do you have an appointment?
No, Im sorry, I dont. Every time he thought about his unsuccessful phone calls to Project Justice, his blood boiled. Im sorry, youll have to fill out the online form. No matter what he said, he got the same response. Even when hed gone in person to the foundations physical address in downtown Houston, he still couldnt get anywhere. An elderly dragon of a woman had barred his way and insisted the online form was the only method open to him.
Im very sorry, the flamenco dancer said, but Mr. Logans schedule is full. To see him, you have to have an appointment.
I tried to make an appointment. Travis kept a death grip on his temper. But they kept telling me I had to go online and fill out a form.
Oh...youre here because of Project Justice?
Yes, maam. If he could just keep the mystery woman from cutting him off, he was sure he could talk his way through this impenetrable gate. He was hopeless with online forms, but he could be very persuasive with women. Younger ones, anyway.
So, may I ask why you didnt fill out the form?
I did. At least, I think I did. Hed gone to the public library to use their computer, but computer skills werent his strong suit. I got stuck in a loop that kept taking me back to the same page, and then I kept getting these error messages... By the time his thirty minutes were up, hed been ready to bash his head through the computer screen. Hed hit the submit button, but he still wasnt sure exactly what hed submitted.
Im sorry you had such a bad experience. The funny thing was she actually sounded like she was sorry. Maybe you could get someone to help you?
Like who? All of his many friends? Hed pretty much lost touch with everybody hed ever been close to, except Eric. Eric was the one constant in his life. And he was not going to abandon his cause. Ever.
With all due respect, maam, Ive kind of run out of options. Im up against a deadline. My brothers going to lose his little girl. Travis realized then there was a security camera above him. The woman with the sexy voice was probably watching his every move, yet he had no idea what she looked like.
You have a friend or loved one who is in prison? she asked, sounding curious.
Yes, maam. My little brother, Eric. I can promise you on a stack of Bibles he didnt do it. He would never kill his wife. He loved her. He never raised a hand to her, and he certainly would never do what they said he did.
Has he exhausted his appeals? Is he on death row?
He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. And hes still appealingbut like I said, hes about to lose his daughter. Shes going to be adopted by her horrid foster parents. MacKenzie is the only link he has to Tammy. I have to do something. Its not fair.
Travis had intended to keep his emotions out of it. But every time he thought about MacKenzie moving on to new parents, calling some other people Mommy and Daddy, his throat closed up and his eyes burned. Eric had been the best father in the world. From the time baby MacKenzie had come home from the hospital, Eric had changed her diapers and fed her, helped with 2:00 a.m. feedings, gone with Tammy to take the baby for doctor visits. The sun had risen and set with that little girl. And now he couldnt even see her, except for sporadic and very brief visits with a glass partition between them.
Just a minute, Ms. Sexy Voice said. I will talk to Mr. Logan and see if he can spare a few minutes. Your brother is Eric? Eric Riggs?
Yes. She probably recognized the case. The entire trial had been televised on some cable station.
Please be patient. Sometimes it takes a while to pin Daniel down to a conversation.
Travis would be patient. He would stand outside this house all day and all night if he had to. But somebody had to listen to him.
* * *
ELENA MARQUEZ TURNED OFF the mic, but she continued to regard their visitor on the monitor. He was a man of uncommon handsomenessnot like a pretty-boy movie star, but more like a cowboy riding the fencesdark, glossy hair, rugged, tanned. A face of harsh planes and angles that somehow fit together pleasingly.
But the world was full of handsome men. It was the emotion in his voiceand on his facethat moved her. Normally, if some stranger came to the gate, security turned them awayperiod. Daniel Logan, with his extreme wealth, was a target for all kinds of kooks and terrorists. Today, however, Elena was sitting in for their regular security guy while he was on his lunch break. They were short staffed; it was holiday season, and the flu was running rampant among the employees. Shed just gotten over it herself.
She would talk to Daniel.
Abandoning her post by the front-gate monitor, she made her way through the house to the elevator, then descended to Daniels lair. Thats what everyone called it. Down here he had his office, which looked something like NASAs Mission Control. He sat in the middle of a horseshoe-shaped desk hed had custom-made out of some exotic wood. A minimum of three computers lined up on the desk. Then he had TV screens all around on the walls, tuned to the news and weather channels. And he always had at least three or four cell phoneswhy anyone needed to have that many, she wasnt sure. He only had one mouth, but she supposed he could text with one, talk with another and check email with the third.
When he wanted to take a break, he had his own fully equipped workout room. There was even a dining patio with faux sunlight that looked as if it could have been transported from a Tuscan sidewalk café.
Daniels commanding voice drifted toward her as she strode down the hall. I can see this is something I have to take care of myself. Give me an hour. He sounded thoroughly vexed about something, so this probably wasnt the best time to approach him with a request. But what choice did she have?
He was hanging up the phone as she rounded the corner and tapped on his open office door. Daniel, can I have a word with you?
You can have ten words, as long as you can walk and talk at the same time. He stood and went to the antique armoire in the corner, where he had several sets of clothes on hangerssuits, tennis clothes, polo clothes. He grabbed one of the suits at random, pulled it out and hung it on the door. Then he started peeling his clothes off.
Elena was used to this sort of thing from him. She turned around and faced the wall. Is something wrong? Dumb question, Elena. Of course something was wrong. And shed just wasted three of her ten words. She never knew if Daniel was serious about things like that. Shed always had a hard time deciphering his dry sense of humor.
You could say that. Theres a possible leak in Reactor Number Four.
Oh, no. That was all Daniel neededsome kind of radioactive leak in the new power plant Logan Oil had recently acquired. Logan Energy, she reminded herself. The corporation had changed its name as it refocused on alternate forms of energy.
Im almost positive its an equipment malfunction and not an actual leak, he said, more to himself than her. But its something I feel the need to micromanage.