Compromised (19 page)

The orphanage—her cover—held a surveillance point, what she called her “little watch tower,” so she could keep her eye on the border.

She was just north of the “Russian-backed fighters” and the Ukrainians who were having sporadic firefights in the towns and countryside. Thing was, no one knew if the fighters were really “Russian-backed” or they were part of Russia's legitimate army. If it was the latter and Abby could get proof, then the might of NATO's combined armies would converge to get Ukraine's army back. It was probably the most important job she'd ever been given and she was going to effing ace it. Even if her hosts were less than impressed that she was there.

She switched off the water and stood staring at the shower wall for a second. For these six months she'd only had contact with her landlord, Tanoff, and his disapproving wife, Brigda. Well, and the kids in the orphanage, but that didn't really count since her hybrid Ukrainian/Russian that they spoke in the area was somewhat rusty.

Six long months on her own. She wanted to talk to someone. Just to see if she could smile still. If those muscles still worked. She wanted to touch someone. Even if it was an accidental brush of fingers. As she dried her hair, she practiced smiling in the mirror. It was pitiful. Fake; and not to put too fine a point on it, it looked as if it pained her to smile.

Once she'd worked from the U.S. embassy in Moscow. She'd arrived in winter and the first thing she'd noticed is that no one smiled. Not in the street, not in the stores, not even in the embassy. It was as if an air of suppression rested on everyone in the country. An artic freeze, she supposed. Only vodka brought smiles. And that was only if it was the good stuff. And those smiles only lasted until the bottle became empty. It was the same here. She blamed the proximity to the Russian border.

Maybe she'd go out tomorrow night. To that bar a few streets away that she passed on her way to the orphanage. She'd double-check the street name on her way to work tomorrow. Even if she only spoke to the bartender, it would be one more person on her scant list of contacts that she was supposed to fill out daily. She hated to think just how boring the analysts at Langley would think her. Or maybe she'd go to the restaurant she'd been to a couple of times when she'd had no food in the house. Whatever she did, she needed to socialize with someone. Anyone. And soon.

I wanted to say a brief thank-you to the ladies in the Any Book Club, who have shown me a
really
good time in the few months I've been a member. Finding truly like-minded book people on a military base, in a foreign country, is a pure joy. Also, no one pokes fun at me for missing a deadline quite like these ladies. So thank you, everyone, with special appreciation for Leann Miller, Jamie Dakins, and Jaimee Strabala, who have already been coconspirators on a number of adventures: There were road trips, bookfairs, train fights, blood, and book signings. May there be many more!

Blowback

Pushing the Limit

Over the Line

Dangerous Territory
(novella)

One year ago, David Church kissed a beautiful, brilliant woman on an airfield in Iraq—and hasn't stopped thinking about her ever since. Now, the military veteran gets a chance to rekindle that fire when he sees his lost love again—looking sexier than ever—at an international conference in Athens. David yearns to take her in his arms, to hold her close and never let go. But when the bullets begin to fly, it's not just his heart on the line. It's his life.

When Molly Solent agreed to deliver intelligence for the US government, she didn't realize she'd be caught in the cross fire of a surprise ambush—and underneath the hard-muscled body of David Church. Shielding her from harm and swearing to protect her, the elite bodyguard reignites a searing passion that Molly can't resist. But with unforeseen danger around every corner—and unquenchable desire in every embrace—falling in love could be the greatest risk of all…

For seven years he's fought for his country. Now he'll fight for her.

Army Ranger Dare Conners has been through hell. He's left combat behind, yet the memories that refuse to fade are proving just as dangerous. Ordered to take R & R, he joins his buddy for beaches, beers, and babes—if that can't cure him, nothing will. But when he meets Berkeley, a woman who affects him like no one else, a new kind of battle begins…

An admiral's daughter, Berkeley knows her life has been planned since birth. The right school, the right boyfriend—and now that she has graduated—the right marriage. But after years of being
right
, Berkeley is ready to be a little wrong. And Dare Conners has
wrong
written all over him. The sexy soldier has a body built for sin and secrets he won't share. What starts as a fling quickly grows into something more. But summer can't last forever, and when the truth comes out, both Berkeley and Dare could be in for quite a fall.

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