Love Inspired Suspense December 2015, Box Set 2 of 2 (33 page)

He reached in his pocket and pulled out the small box he'd kept locked away in a drawer for years. “I have something for you,” he said.

When he opened it, her eyes widened. “Oh, Lucas, the locket you gave me the night I danced in
The Nutcracker
. I didn't know you'd kept it.”

He nodded. “When you gave it back to me after we broke up, I couldn't make myself get rid of it. Every once in a while I'd get it out and look at it. And I'd wonder what you were doing. If I had known what you were going through, I would have tried to help you.”

“I know. But that's all behind us now.” She glanced down at the locket. “Is our picture still inside?”

He opened it and held it out for her to see. The picture of them, their heads touching and smiles on their faces, stared up at them. “This was made a few weeks before the performance.”

“I know.” She bowed her head toward him, and he fastened the locket around her neck.

“This is just to seal our commitment until we go get your engagement ring this week.”

A look of panic flashed in her eyes. “Lucas, are you sure your family is okay with this?”

He laughed and tugged her to him. “They're fine. With life the way it is around here, we just roll with the punches.”

She smiled as his lips brushed hers, and then she pulled his head down and pressed her lips against his. After a moment she separated and stared up at him. “Now, that's a proper kiss.”

He leaned forward to kiss her again but hesitated as his sister ran into the room. “Stop, you two!” Jessica yelled. “We've got an emergency. Claire has gone into labor, and I think Adam is about to pass out. We've got to leave for the hospital right now.”

Lucas laughed, grabbed Mia's hand and pulled her to her feet. “So much for Adam bragging about how he was the coolest expectant father ever.”

“Well, he's not cool anymore,” Jessica said. “Mr. Always-in-Control Bounty Hunter is in a panic. Claire's suitcase is at home, and he's afraid there isn't enough gas in his car to get to the hospital.”

She'd barely finished speaking when Lucas caught sight of Adam with his arm around Claire, ushering her down the hallway to the front door. “Now, don't worry, honey,” Adam said. “We're gonna get through this without any trouble.” He jerked the front door open. “Get in Ryan's car. He and Jessica are going to drive us.”

Claire came to a stop and put her hands on her hips. “Adam, I need my coat. It's freezing outside.”

His face turned pale, and he rushed toward the living room. “I'll get it.”

“Adam,” she called out. “It's in the kitchen.”

He skidded to a halt and turned toward the kitchen. “Oh, yeah. Be right back. Don't leave without me.”

Claire let out a sigh and shook her head in Mia's direction. “Now, that sounds like a good idea.”

Before they could say anything, Adam came running back with two coats in his hands. He grabbed Claire's left arm and tried to force it into the sleeve of one of them, and she jerked her arm free. “Adam, that's your coat.”

Lucas laughed, and Adam glared at him before he bundled both coats under one arm and grabbed Claire with his other hand. “Claire, will you please get in the car before we have to deliver this baby in the entry hall?”

Claire rolled her eyes and huffed out a big breath. “Adam, if you don't calm down, we're going to have to get you a wheelchair when we get to the hospital.”

“Claire,” Adam groaned, “if you don't get in the car this minute, I'm going to pick you up and put you there myself.”

Claire looked over her shoulder as Adam propelled her out the door and arched her eyebrows. “Welcome to life in the Knight family, Mia. You never know what's going to happen next.”

Lucas stood at the door and watched until Ryan drove away. He shook his head and laughed when he saw Adam lean over from the backseat and gesture wildly. Probably giving instructions on which route to take to the hospital. When the car disappeared down the street, he closed the door and faced Mia.

“Well, there's a preview of how quickly life can change around here. What do you think? Are you ready to take this bunch on?”

She looped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. “I think I'm going to enjoy every minute.”

* * * * *

Dear Reader,

Yuletide Fugitive Threat
was a difficult book to write because of the domestic violence that served as the basis for Mia's story. As I wrote about her experiences, I was reminded that she was not unique in what she suffered. It has been reported that each year 4,774,000 women in the United States experience physical abuse from an intimate partner and that one in four women will be victims of physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetimes. If you or someone you know is caught in this vicious trap, I hope that you will seek help before it is too late. Don't continue to suffer because your husband or boyfriend has convinced you that you are the one at fault in the relationship. In my story, even though Mia was released from her situation, she still had a lot of healing to do. I'm praying that you, too, can find the strength to seek help that will bring complete healing into your life.

Sandra Robbins

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

You enjoy a dash of danger.
Love Inspired Suspense
stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.

Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired Suspense every month!

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ISBN-13: 9781460389324

Yuletide Fugitive Threat

Copyright © 2015 by Sandra Robbins

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical,
now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

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RACE AGAINST TIME

Lacey Phillips believes Captain Wade Spencer knows something about her brother's mysterious death. So she throws caution to the wind and tracks him down on Christmas Eve looking for answers. Wade tries to turn her away—until bullets start to fly. He doesn't want to take the stubborn beauty on his life-or-death mission to find out the truth about how Wade's past may have cost her brother his life. But with killers lurking everywhere, he has to protect her—especially when she breaches the walls around his heart. Can Wade and his faithful service dog keep Lacey alive long enough to figure out who's targeting them?

ROADS TO DANGER: Family secrets resurface

“Someone is trying to kill you…

“If you knew that then,” Wade continued, “would you have stayed home?”

Lacey looked at him. “No. My brother's dead. I won't stop until I know why.”

“I already told you. Because of me.”

“Those guys out there weren't sent by you. There's more to the story. More than you even know.”

“The story of my life. Ever since I found out my mother's aliases, I've been living that reality.”

“This is more than just finding out if your mother was a spy, isn't it?” When Wade hesitated she said, “Please. We could be killed any second. Honesty is all we have left.”

He nodded. “But that's all you're going to get out of me. Talking only gets people killed.
I
get people killed.”

“But you rescued your sister—”

“Don't.” He captured her gaze. His eyes glittered. “Don't make me into some hero. I opened my mouth, and she was almost killed. And the next time, your brother paid the price.” His gaze darkened. “And if I can't fix this, you're next.”

Katy Lee
writes suspenseful romances that thrill and inspire. She believes every story should stir and satisfy the reader—from the edge of their seat. A native New Englander, Katy loves to knit warm wooly things. She enjoys traveling the side roads and exploring the locals' hideaways. A homeschooling mom of three competitive swimmers, Katy often writes from the stands while cheering them on. Visit Katy at
katyleebooks.com
.

Books by Katy Lee

Love Inspired Suspense

Warning Signs
Grave Danger
Sunken Treasure
Permanent Vacancy
Silent Night Pursuit

SILENT NIGHT
PURSUIT

Katy Lee

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

—1 John
3:18

To Ben and all the other service dogs like him who assist their military handlers on a daily basis. You truly inspire.