If he only knew what she was thinking
Eve felt her face grow warm, and she tried to turn away. But Tony caught her hand, pulling her gently toward him.
She found herself standing between his legs, could feel the warmth of his bare skin. His muscles rippled, and something primitive rose inside Eve. Something even more basic than love.
He lifted his hand and brushed back the hair from her forehead. His touch was gentle and warm but his fingers trembled slightly, revealing a deeper, darker desire. His blue gaze was knowing, and bittersweet.
What are we going to do about this? he asked.
I dont know.
I dont know, either, but if you keep looking at me like that, I wont be responsible for my actions.
Im notI didnt mean to
No, you wouldnt, he agreed. Thats what I admire most about you. You dont play games. Youre open and honest, about your feelings and everything else.
No, she wanted to tell him. Im not honest. Especially about my feelings. What if I told you Id been in love with you for years?
Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,
Chills run down your spine, your pulse poundsand you cant wait to turn the page! Its just another month of outstanding romantic suspense from Harlequin Intrigue.
Last month, Amanda Stevens introduced you to a new brand of justiceGALLAGHER JUSTICEin The Littlest Witness (#549). This month, Detective Tony Gallagher gets his very own Secret Admirer (#553) for Valentines Day. Cupid is also hard at work in B.J. Danielss Love at First Sight (#555), in which a sexy police officer has to pose as the husband of the only witness to a murder in order to protect her. Except he keeps forgetting their marriage is supposed to be a façade.
Caroline Burnes takes a break from her FEAR FAMILIAR series to bring you Texas Midnight (#554). Simmering passion and a remote location make for an explosive read from this bestselling author. But Familiar, the crime-solving black cat, will be back at Harlequin Intrigue soon in his thirteenth novel! Watch for Familiar Obsession (#570) in stores this June.
Finally, Rita Herron contributes to the ongoing Harlequin Intrigue amnesia promotion A MEMORY AWAYwith Forgotten Lullaby (#556). In this highly emotional story, not only do a man and woman commit their love to one another once, but they also overcome the odds to fall in love all over again.
Intense drama and powerful romance make for an extraspecial selection of titles this February. Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Denise OSullivan
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin Intrigue
Secret Admirer
Amanda Stevens
www.millsandboon.co.uk
MILLS & BOON
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amanda Stevens has written over twenty novels of romantic suspense. Her books have appeared on several bestseller lists, and she has won Reviewers Choice and Career Achievement in Romantic/ Mystery awards from Romantic Times Magazine. She resides in Cypress, Texas, with her husband, her son and daughter, and their two cats.
Books by Amanda Stevens
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE
373STRANGER IN PARADISE
388A BABYS CRY
397A MAN OF SECRETS
430THE SECOND MRS. MALONE
453THE HEROS SON*
458THE BROTHERS WIFE*
462THE LONG-LOST HEIR*
489SOMEBODYS BABY
511LOVER, STRANGER
549THE LITTLEST WITNESS**
553SECRET ADMIRER**
HARLEQUIN BOOKS
2-in-1 Harlequin 50th Anniversary Collection
HER SECRET PAST
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Eve BarrettShes been sent undercover to investigate a cop she was once in love with.
Detective Tony GallagherA rash of murders leads straight to his past.
David MacKenzieTonys attorney and best friend.
Vic DAngeloA cop with a grudge.
Clare FoxxShe was once Tonys partner; now shes his commanding officer. But is she also a woman scorned?
Ed DawsonTheres no room in the superintendents squeaky-clean police force for a rogue cop like Tony.
Maria ManciniShe vowed revenge against Tony for shooting her son.
Fiona GallagherTonys sister knows whats best for him.
FisherAn informant who makes Tony nervous.
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 One
Murderer! the woman screamed at Tony Gallagher. Look at him, you people! Take a good, long look! Ever stare into the eyes of a killer?
In her mid-forties, with long black hair flapping about her face and shoulders and gold bangles dangling from both wrists as she gestured wildly, the distraught woman reminded Tony of a gypsy. He suspected she could be just as beguiling. Her shrieks attracted more than a fair amount of attention from people passing by on the street.
Traffic was heavy for early afternoon, and the skyscrapers lining State Street trapped exhaust fumes in the man-made canyons, adding to the thick, charged atmosphere outside Police Headquarters in Chicago.
Pointing a finger at Tony, the woman yelled to anyone who would listen, See that man? That cop! He killed my baby! My Franco! Shot him in cold blood!
Tony fished in his pocket for his sunglasses. All things considered, he would rather have been sailing on Lake Michigan this June afternoon, or stretched out on a beach somewhere. Facing a review boardand then a crazy womanwas not his idea of a great time, but he supposed the spectacle she created provided a certain amount of entertainment to some of the onlookers.
Flanked on one side by his best friend and attorney, David MacKenzie, and on the other side by his sister, Fiona, Tony started down the steps. The wind off the lake whipped Fionas red hair into a frenzy. She peeled the fiery strands from her face as she matched her steps to Tonys and Davids. Shifting her briefcase to her other hand, she squeezed Tonys arm encouragingly.
Dont let her get to you, she murmured.
We should have gone out the other way, David said tightly.
Why? Tony demanded. He yanked at his tie, letting it drape around his neck like an untied noose. I dont have anything to hide. I was cleared in there, remember?
By the review board, David said. Not by public opinion.
Franco Mancini wounded two officers, one of them now permanently disabled. What was I supposed to do? Let him shoot me, too?
David sighed, slipping on his own sunglassesexpensive ones, to complement his Italian-cut suit and gold watch. No, of course not. You did the right thing. But with your record His words trailed off as they reached the bottom of the steps.
The woman suddenly lunged forward, and David slung up his briefcase to shield her from Tony. Two uniforms came rushing over to restrain her, but they couldnt shut her up.
Youll pay for what you did to my Franco! So help me, you will!
A murmur rippled through the crowd on the street, and Tony shuddered inwardly. This wasnt the first time Maria Mancini had accosted him. Her son had been fatally wounded a few weeks ago in a shootout after a robbery attempt had gone bad. Tony had been off duty and had just happened by the convenience store when the shooting erupted. Not taking the time to call for backup, hed drawn the gunmans fire while one of the wounded officers pulled the other to safety. Then Tony had taken out the shooter.
Franco Mancini had been transported to the same trauma unit at University Hospital as the two fallen officers, but by the time Francos mother had arrived, it was too late. Hed died in surgery.
Somehow Maria had found out that Tony was the one who had shot her son. Shed come at him in the hospital like a dark-haired wraith, and it had taken four cops that night to pull her off.
Tony winced, remembering the sting of her scarlet nails on his face. The bite of her words. The fierceness of her anger and grief, which hadnt abated during the three weeks hed been suspended pending an investigation by the Internal Affairs Division.
Fionas grip tightened on his arm as they headed down the street toward her car. The sun reflected blindingly off a nearby office building. You did do the right thing that night, Tony. You saved those officers lives. Ask their wives and kids if they think youre a murderer.
Fiona always wanted to put things right. She hated unfairness of any kind, but now that she was a practicing attorney, she was likely to get a dose of real life. Tony knew better than anyone how rampant injustice was in this world. Why else had Ashley died so young?
He frowned, not wanting to think about Ashley at all, but lately he couldnt seem to help it. The anniversary of her murder was coming up, and that date always brought out the worst in him.
It was hitting him even harder this year, probably because the suspension had given him too much time for brooding. Hed been drinking too much, hadnt been sleeping. Hell, he thought, catching a glimpse of his reflection in the car window, no wonder the people on the street had bought Maria Mancinis accusations.
David went around and opened the door for Fiona, then rested his arm on the top of her new Audi. Why dont I meet you two at Nellies? We can have a beer to celebrate.
Tony shrugged. Im back on active duty, remember? Gotta go check in.
So hows the new lieutenant working out?
Another sore subject. Rather than going to bat for him with IAD, Clare Foxx had rolled over, agreeing to Tonys suspension without so much as a lifted eyebrow.
Think of it as a paid vacation, shed told him, but they both knew what a suspension, whether warranted or not, could do to a cops reputation. What little reputation Tony had left.
He suspected the sadistic part of Clare had enjoyed watching him being raked over the coals in the media, and he couldnt help wondering what new torture she had in mind for him today.
Thered been a time when Tony had felt closer to Clare Foxx than anyone alive. Shed been his first partner after hed made detective, and for a while, hed thought she might actually be able to help him exorcise the ghosts that had haunted him since Ashleys death.
But their relationshipboth professional and otherwisehad ended badly. While time and promotions had passed Tony over, Clare had learned to play the game extremely well. Shed caught herself an angel somewhere along the way, and now she was his superiorliterally had control over his destiny. A position she relished, Tony figured.
If there was ever a reason for not sleeping with your partner, he thought dryly, Clare Foxx was it.
I HEARD THE NEWS, Clare said a little while later, as Tony sat in her office at district headquarters. Congratulations.
She was dressed in a black suit with a trim jacket and above-the-knee skirt. As she came around the desk and perched on the edge, Tony caught a flash of thigh.
Damn, he thought, staring in spite of himself. Clare had been working out. Nearly ten years older than Tony, shed held her age well at forty-one. Hell, she looked good for any age, and she damn well knew it, too.
Smiling, she tucked a wisp of long dark hair behind her ear, revealing a tiny diamond stud in her lobe. She wore a gold chain around her throat, and she played with the necklace as she talked, twisting it around her fingers.
She was a beautiful woman, but her eyes gave away her age and occupation. Dark, piercing, they were a little too hard and cynical, with deep crinkles at the corners that werent from laughing.
Clare was a good cop, had been a good partner until she and Tony had gone and made it personal. Until it went bad. Then shed become like every other woman hed ever known. Shed wanted a piece of him he wasnt willing to give. Not anymore. Not since Ashley
So, Clare said, giving him a slow once-over, now that the review board has exonerated you, what does Dr. Metzer say? You ready for active duty?
No matter what the rank, it was routine procedure for a cop who had been involved in a shooting to be checked out by a staff psychologist. Sure. My heads screwed back on straight. For the time being, he couldnt resist adding.
Clare glanced at him sharply. Thats what Im afraid of. Youve been skirting the edge for so long, one of these days youre going to go native on us. Even Dr. Metzer wont be able to bring you back.