How they came to be
Buried deep beneath an abandoned military base, in reinforced bunkers long ago forgotten by the outside world, a group of supersoldiers was born, a black ops team not only trained in combat, but also imbued with extraordinary skills that allow them to defy dimension, reality and time itself.
When a top secret mission goes terribly awry, three special heroes are forced to accept their own mortality. Abandoned and betrayed by ruthless superiors, they must struggle to put the pieces of their livesand their memoriesback together. But in resurrecting those memories, secrets will be uncovered. Lives will be lost. And a dark and deadly conspiracy will finally be exposed.
Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,
Take a very well-deserved break from Thanksgiving preparations and rejuvenate yourself with Harlequin Intrigues tempting offerings this month!
To start off the festivities, Harper Allen brings you Covert Cowboythe next riveting installment of COLORADO CONFIDENTIAL. Watch the sparks fly when a Native American secret agent teams up with the headstrong mother of his unborn child to catch a slippery criminal. Looking to live on the edge? Then enter the dark and somber HEARTSKEEP estatewith caution!when Dani Sinclair brings you The Second Sisterthe next book in her gothic trilogy.
The thrills dont stop there! His Mysterious Ways pairs a ruthless mercenary with a secretive seductress as they ward off evil forces. Dont miss this new series in Amanda Stevenss extraordinary QUANTUM MEN books. Join Mallory Kane for an action-packed story about a heroine who must turn to a tough-hearted FBI operative when shes targeted by a stalker in Bodyguard/Husband.
A homecoming unveils a deadly conspiracy in Unmarked Man by Darlene Scalerathe latest offering in our new theme promotion BACHELORS AT LARGE. And finally this month, tis the season for some spine-tingling suspense in The Christmas Target by Charlotte Douglas when a sexy cowboy cop must ride to the rescue as a twisted Santa sets his sights on a beautiful businesswoman.
So gather your loved ones all around and warm up by the fire with some steamy romantic suspense!
Enjoy,
Denise OSullivan
Senior Editor
Harlequin Intrigue
His Mysterious Ways
Amanda Stevens
www.millsandboon.co.uk
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amanda Stevens is the bestselling author of over thirty novels of romantic suspense. In addition to being a Romance Writers of America RITA® Award finalist, she is also the recipient of awards in Career Achievement in Romantic/Mystery and Career Achievement in Romantic/Suspense from Romantic Times magazine. She currently resides in Texas. To find out more about past, present and future projects, please visit her Web site at www.amandastevens.com.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Melanie StarkShes come to the tiny Central American country of Cartéga to find the one man who can unlock the secrets of her past.
Jon LassiterA ruthless mercenary known as el guerrero del demoniothe demon warrior.
Richard StarkOnce a quantum physicist for a top secret operation known as the Montauk Projects, hes been on the run for years.
Dr. WilderAn American doctor involved in a very dangerous business.
Hoyt KrugerHes hired el guerrero del demonio to protect his oil wells in Cartéga. But does he have an ulterior motive?
Martin GraceKrugers partner is a man of few wordsand fewer scruples.
Angus BondAn Australian expatriate with a fondness for the bottle and a penchant for trouble.
Blanca del TorrioIs she really in love with Dr. Wilder, or does the older man have something she wants?
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
They called her Angel because they didnt know her real name and because the tiny hand-shaped birth-mark on the left side of her face made it seem as though shed been touched by God.
Even so, she was a very sick child, the latest victim of a deadly epidemic that had swept through remote villages along the banks of the Salamá River in the tiny Central American country of Cartéga.
Melanie Stark had found the little girl on the steps of the clinic in Santa Elena when shed gone there to volunteer. Huddled beneath a dirty, ragged blanket, the child had been suffering from high fever, chills, chest congestion, persistent cough and a florid maculopapular rash over her face, arms and trunk that was similar to, but not entirely consistent with typhus.
Where she had come from or who had left her, no one knew. For the first forty-eight hours, her condition had been touch-and-go. Finally, on the third day, her temperature had dropped and her breathing became less labored, but she still had a long way to go for a full recovery.
Melanie had barely left the little girls bedside since shed frantically carried her into the clinic three days ago. Shed sat with her morning and night, reading to her, talking to her softly, sometimes praying. Now she reached out to touch a tiny hand beneath the oxygen tent, but the child didnt stir.
Dr. Wilder, who ran the clinic, squeezed Melanies shoulder, then nodded toward the door. Reluctantly, she got up and followed him out. His solemn expression alarmed her.
Melanie turned to him anxiously once they were outside the closed door. Shes better today, right? Her fever is down, her color is improving
Yes, thats the good news. Dr. Wilder stripped off his surgical gloves and dropped them in a nearby waste receptacle. He wasnt a particularly tall man, standing only a couple of inches above Melanies five foot seven, but he was trim and toned and the close-cropped beard and mustache gave him a distinguished, intellectual appearance. He was American, but Melanie couldnt place his accent.
When shed first met him, shed judged him to be around fifty-five, but after having spent the past few days in his company, shed come to the conclusion that he was one of those men whose age could be anywhere from late forties to late sixties.
He was refined, gentle, a very good doctor from what shed observed, although, admittedly, a premed dropout such as she was perhaps not the best judge. Still, shed been impressed with his care and treatment of Angel. Melanie was convinced the child wouldnt have made it through that first day without Dr. Wilders expertise.
Why someone with his obvious skill and talent had ended up in a place like Santa Elena, she couldnt imagine. Nor did she ask. Shed learned a long time ago that curiosity courted curiosity. Her own reasons for coming to Cartéga were private and complicatedperhaps even dangerousand she had no intention of discussing them with anyone, much less dragging an innocent bystander into her murky quest.
Dr. Wilders worried gaze met hers. Angel is responding to the treatment, but unfortunately, the epidemic has depleted our supply of antibiotics. Ive made repeated calls to the Ministry of Health in San Cristóbal, but the government either cant or wont help us. I havent even been able to get the results of Angels blood tests, and without them, I cant even be sure what were dealing with
He trailed off, shaking his head in disgust. The minister claims that airlifted medical supplies from the U.S. are being stolen by the rebels, but Im just as inclined to believe theyre being confiscated by the army to sell on the black market.
If Melanie had learned anything in the brief time shed spent in Cartéga it was that in the bloody civil war that had raged for nearly five years, there were no good guys. Only victims like Angel.
She drew a long breath. What happens to Angel if we run out?
Dr. Wilder glanced at the door behind which the tiny, dark-eyed girl valiantly fought for her life. Shes very weak. Without the antibiotics, her immune system may not be able to fight the infection. Complications could set in. Pneumonia, acute renal failure He gave a helpless shrug. Without the drugs, she could die.
We cant let that happen. I wont let that happen, Melanie said stubbornly.
He gave her a weary, defeated smile. We may not have a choice. Some things are out of our hands. If the shipments cant get through
Well just have to find the drugs somewhere else.
He frowned. Where?
Melanie thought for a moment. An American oil company has a drilling site thirty miles north of here at the base of the mountains. They have an infirmary on the premises, as well as an airstrip, and supplies are flown in twice a month.
Dr. Wilders gaze narrowed. How do you know that?
I talk to people in the village. I hear things, she replied evasively.
Did you also hear that the drilling site is like a fortress? Dr. Wilder demanded. Kruger Petroleum has hired a small army to guard the perimeter of the compound. No one can get in or out without proper authorization. You wont get within a hundred yards before youll be turned away.
She shrugged. Well see about that.
Melanie
Look, Im not going to let that little girl die, Dr. Wilder, no matter what I have to do. But things could get a little dicey, she admitted. The less you know the better off youll be.
Deniability, you mean.
Exactly. But please dont worry. I know what Im doing.
I hope you do. Because I hear things, too. Dr. Wilders expression turned grim, cautious. The mercenaries Kruger has hired to guard his wells are a pack of ruthless savages, the kind who shoot first and ask questions later. Theyre led by a man the locals call el guerrero del demonio.
Demon warrior.
An icy dread tingled down Melanies backbone.
They say he hasunnatural powers.
Melanie forced a smile to her suddenly frozen lips. Youre a man of science, Doctor. Surely you dont believe in superstitions.
Where science is corrupted, evil often flourishes, he muttered obliquely. Tread carefully, Melanie.
The hair at the back of her neck lifted at his strange warning, and she watched him curiously until hed disappeared down the hallway. Then she turned and slipped through the door to Angels room.