A Father's Sacrifice

A Father's Sacrifice
Mallory Kane

A child's life was at stake.Little Ben had only had a few precious weeks before he'd be paralyzed forever…and the neurological interface Dr. Dylan Stryker had been developing for the federal government was his son's only hope. But someone wanted the prototype–someone who would steal, kidnap, even murder to get it.Dylan would do anything to save his little boy–even turn to FBI agent Natasha Rudolph to help him. Falling in love wasn't in the plans. With his son's life hanging in the balance, getting involved with Natasha just might get them killed. Now it was a race against time to find the madman who threatened them–and to protect woman and child at all costs…

A Father’s Sacrifice

Mallory Kane

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

This book is for Galen.

I couldn’t have done it without you.

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

Prologue

FBI Special Agent Natasha Rudolph drew her FBI-issued Glock .23 and eyed the burned-out building in a run-down section of downtown Washington, D.C. The broken door hung off its hinges, and as she entered, weapon first, the smell of smoke, urine and dead rats hit her like a noxious wind.

Her wrist communicator beeped quietly.

“Natasha, damn it, where are you?”

It was Storm.

“I just got here,” she whispered into her COM unit. “The cell phone signal had to come from this building.”

“I’m right behind you. Three minutes. Wait for me.”

She knew from experience that in three minutes, Bobby Lee Hutchins could be long gone.

She and fellow Agent Ray Storm had been tracking Hutchins for months, since he’d detonated an explosive device in the Mall in Washington, D.C., that had killed two people and injured over a dozen, including the daughter of a prominent U.S. congressman.

Hutchins was clever, but Natasha and Storm had finally located his mother and tapped her phone. Now they had him, and Natasha wasn’t about to let him slip away again.

“Natasha! Answer me!”

After an instant’s hesitation, she muted the wrist COM’s speaker and stepped into the dim, suffocating interior of the building, her weapon ready.

As she skirted a pile of broken glass, she heard a noise above her head. She froze, tightening her grip on her weapon.

Without moving, she examined the area. She spotted holes in the ceiling, glass and debris on the floor, fire and water damage everywhere.

Carefully, her ears attuned to the smallest sound, she started up the wobbly staircase. Something moved in the darkness beyond the stairs. Natasha jerked, but it was just a mouse. She blew out a breath of relief. She was after human vermin.

Her wrist COM lit up. Storm—trying to reach her again. She ignored it. Hutchins had slipped out of their hands too many times. She wasn’t about to lose him this time because protocol dictated she wait for backup. Agents were supposed to use their best discretion in urgent situations.

The sound of wood scraping against wood above her head sent her heart hammering in anticipation.

He was up there. She silently eased her way up the rickety stairs, careful to avoid broken steps. The creak of a board under her boot froze her in place. She stood awkwardly poised between two steps, not daring to breathe. After a few seconds of silence, she moved forward.

As she approached the second floor, she crouched low, taking the steps at a crawl, then slowly raised her head and her gun. Sucking in a deep breath, she prayed Storm really was only seconds away.

She jumped up, swinging her weapon in an arc, checking all sides. Nothing.

Cautiously, she angled around the banister.

A soft thump from behind had her wheeling around. A man threw all his weight against her, knocking her to the floor. She twisted as she fell, getting off a shot, but it went wild.

Screaming like a madman, Hutchins swung a rifle barrel at her head. Blinding pain wiped out her vision for an instant. She grasped her Glock desperately.

Then he was over her, the barrel of his rifle digging into her abdomen.

“You shouldn’a gone after my ma!” he screamed.

Natasha pointed her weapon at his chest and struggled to breathe. “Put down the gun!” she gasped.

Hutchins laughed. “You gonna make me?”

“Drop it now or I’ll shoot!” Her voice cracked with fear, but she couldn’t back down. She didn’t want to die. Not today.