Operation: Midnight Escape

Operation: Midnight Escape
Linda Castillo

AGENT-PROTECTOR AND THEN SOMESpecial Agent Jake Vanderpol swore he'd buried all tender feelings for Leigh Michaels. Until he learned that the arms dealer she'd testified against six years ago had escaped. Suddenly the memories were back…memories of urgent kisses in hiding. But after what happened, would she trust him to save her?Danger just exploded from her past with the same raw male power that first drew Leigh to her former agent-protector. Then Jake used her as bait to get his man, and she'd fled into witness protection. Now a killer wants revenge. But who will shield her heart from the only man she'd ever let touch her–body and soul?

A scream tore from her throat when he came down on top of her

“Calm down. Damn it, it’s me. Jake.”

Leigh stopped struggling. A shudder moved through her when she realized who it was. At precisely the same time it struck her that every hard angle of his muscular body fit against hers with the utter perfection of a well-worn kid glove. Her body recognized his on some primal, instinctive level and responded. Breathing hard, trembling violently beneath him, she blinked the hair from her eyes, trying to make out his features in the semidarkness.

The sight of him hit her with the power of a hollow point bullet. Her heart dipped and then spun into a wild freefall. She stared at him, unable to move, a hundred emotions descending in a rush….

“Get off of me!” she cried.

Operation: Midnight Escape

Linda Castillo

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Castillo knew at a very young age that she wanted to be a writer—and penned her first novel at the age of thirteen. She is the winner of numerous writing awards, including the Holt Medallion, the Golden Heart, the Daphne du Maurier and received a nomination for the prestigious RITA

Award.

Linda loves writing edgy romantic suspense novels that push the envelope and take her readers on a roller-coaster ride of breathtaking romance and thrilling suspense. She resides in Texas with her husband, four lovable dogs and an Appaloosa named George. For a complete list of her books, check out her Web site at www.lindacastillo.com. Contact her at books@lindacastillo.com Or write her at P.O. Box 577, Bushland, Texas 79012.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Jake Vanderpol—Six years ago this MIDNIGHT operative sold his soul to bring down his nemesis—and it cost him the only woman he’d ever loved. Will he make the same mistake twice?

Leigh Michaels—She’s running for her life from a killer who is obsessed with her. Can she trust Jake Vanderpol to keep her safe?

Ian Rasmussen—Escaped from prison, he doesn’t care about running away. All he cares about is revenge against the woman who testified against him. The woman he’d once loved.

Sean Cutter—Burned out from twelve years of deep undercover work for the CIA, he is facing his first professional crisis as lead agent for the MIDNIGHT team. He must decide if Jake Vanderpol is a rogue agent or a godsend.

Mike Madrid—A master computer hacker with a shady past. He was the only agent who knew where Jake and Leigh had fled. Did he give up their location to Rasmussen?

Rick Monteith—Ex-cop turned rookie agent. He will do anything to prove himself. When the test comes, will he be ready?

Derrick LeValley—This deputy U.S. Marshal accepted a cool one million dollars and became a fugitive from the law to help Ian Rasmussen escape from a federal prison. Will he live long enough to spend the money?

Ronald Waite—The star reporter for a tabloid who agreed to help the MIDNIGHT agency with a sting. Will he reveal his anonymous source under torture?

Contents

Prologue

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

Prologue

Facing the bitter November wind, convicted international arms dealer Ian Rasmussen gazed at the bleak Missouri countryside. He breathed in deeply, savoring the sweet tang of freedom after six brutal years without it.

The semi’s diesel engine idled on the other side of the rest area, rumbling like thunder. According to the driver’s logbook the truck’s shipment of Italian furniture would be delivered to a furniture warehouse in Denver that very night. What the logbook didn’t reveal was that a hidden room had been built in the front section of the rig’s trailer—a ten-by-four-foot room complete with heat, a fully stocked wet bar, television set, satellite phone and a leather recliner.

Even on the run from every law-enforcement organization in the Midwest, Ian Rasmussen liked to travel in style.