For years, Troy has lived in the shadows as a Guardian. As part of this secret government taskforce, he has agreed to oversee the team’s base of operations on a remote private island in Maine, replacing fellow agent Ace and his wife, Kristi, for a year.
When Troy steps in to hold down the fort, however, he does not anticipate company. So when Kristi’s sister, Jocelyn, appears on the island, looking for a getaway, Troy is unnerved by her presence—hiding his top-secret work from the beautiful visitor is a recipe for disaster.
It’s been years since Jocelyn has been able to relax, and the family island is the clear antidote to the chaos of the business world. Expecting solitude, she is taken off guard by the presence of the handsome house sitter living in her sister’s home. Though she and Troy fall into an easy friendship, beneath his calm demeanor, he is an enigma. It’s clear the man who is quickly stealing her heart has a secret, but the truth is beyond Jocelyn’s wildest imaginings: Troy is involved in stopping a political coup, and their relationship threatens to place Jocelyn squarely in the crosshairs of a deadly assassin.
Excerpt:
Senator
Walter Royce didn’t pay attention to the posted menu outside the busy
restaurant in Montmartre as he walked through the entrance. He had one
purpose for being here, and it had nothing to do with the food.
“Un,”
he told the host, holding up one finger to make up for his complete
lack of a French accent. On the surface, his trip to Paris was nothing
more than a quick family getaway, but in reality, it was a much-needed
excuse.
The
host said something in French, and Walter shook his head
apologetically. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Do you have an English
menu?”
The
younger man nodded and showed him up a half flight of stairs to the
dining area. Walter took his seat at a table in the center of the room,
and the host handed him a menu.
“Merci.”
Once alone, he glanced around the establishment. Through the windows,
he could see the tables filled with patrons lining the sidewalk and
waiters breezing in and out of the kitchen. In contrast, the indoor
dining area was nearly empty. Four locals chatted in French over the
remnants of their lunch, and on the far side of the room, an older
couple studied their menus.
Walter
glanced furtively at each person. Everywhere he looked, he expected to
see someone staring at him, someone noticing why he was really here. He
had spent the morning with his wife and daughters at the Eiffel Tower,
taking the appropriate photos to make sure everyone would see him as the
tourist he claimed to be. He had bowed out of their shopping plans, but
he doubted he would be able to sneak away again without raising
suspicions.
His
stomach jumped with nerves, and he struggled to focus on the menu
before him. When the waiter arrived to take his order, Walter indicated
his choice by pointing.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the party of four stand up to leave at the
same
time the host approached to seat another guest. Anticipation snaked
through him. Was that him? The infamous Gavrie Morozov? A well-known
Russian opera- tive, the man was a chameleon. He also had the skills
needed to solve Walter’s problems and put him back on track to his
destiny.
A moment after the host left, a heavily accented voice carried to him. “Why am I here?”
Walter
started to turn around to see the man now seated behind him. “Don’t
look at me,” the man commanded. “Just answer the question.”
Walter
forced his gaze to stop at the window. Trying to focus on two women
seated outside, he willed his heartbeat to slow. “I need help.”
“What kind of help?”
“My
former bank notified me that someone was looking into my old account
information,” Walter said. “Someone knows I’m working with your people.”
“Who knows?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it’s the guardians.” Walter lowered his voice further. “And I think I know who’s helping them.”
“It sounds like you need someone eliminated.”
Walter’s
stomach curled. He had killed a man himself only a few weeks before.
The nightmares from that moment still haunted him, and now here he was,
negotiating to take another life. When his alliance with the Russians
started more than a decade ago, he never anticipated he would be in this
position now.
Silence stretched for several seconds before Walter said, “I don’t know if there’s another choice.”
“My associates need something in return.” “What?”
“Access to the detailed budget.”
Walter
sucked in a deep breath. The requests from the Russians in the past had
been more subtle, but complete access? If they knew where the money was
going, they would know everything, including military plans and
intelligence objectives. Walter was supposed to be the key to balancing
the volatile relationship between the two superpowers, not the gofer
giving one a significant leg up on the other. What would the Russians do
if he refused? Would they cut off his funding? Or eliminate him in the
most final sense of the word?
“Even
if I give you access, what good would that do?” Walter asked. “I can’t
make changes significant enough to make a difference.”
“You’re on the Senate Intelligence Committee. You have access to information we need.”
The noose around his neck tightened. He didn’t have any other option. “I’ll make it happen.”"
“Good,”
the man said, his accent thickening. “While you’re at it, I suggest you
propose to trim expenditures in a few places, especially anything that
might be providing funding to the guardians.”
“I tried that before.”
“Try again.” The voice was low but firm. “Now, where do I find this problem of yours?”
“In
Washington, DC,” Walter said. “You’ll find him on Capitol Hill.” Walter
pulled a folded envelope from his back pocket and dropped it to the
floor. He looked down as though noticing its presence for the first
time, then cleared his voice. “I think you dropped something.”
The other man leaned down and picked it up. “So it seems.”"
Review:
Abramson does it again! Every time I pick up a new Guardian book, I feel like it's a family reunion. I enjoy reacquainting myself with all of the old characters while getting to know the new ones. This particular story had the added bonus of not only being set on a beautiful, rugged island (well, I picture it as being absolutely beautiful...) but the main character, Jocelyn, is in to photography, something I also love. I enjoy having those little things that help me relate to a character better. Several of the regulars were back in play throughout this story - Kade, Ace, Renee, Kristi, and the Whitmore's, of course. When I get to know a character in a previous story, it's always nice to have them show up in future books. I miss them! This story had the perfect amount of suspense and romance. Definitely one that was hard to put down. I highly recommend it.
Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Title: In Harm's Way
Author: Traci Hunter Abramson
Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.
Published: March 2021
ISBN: 1524414670
Source: I received a copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.
Purchase: Amazon Deseret Book
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