Meet the Author:

It can never be said that NYT & USA Today Bestselling author Sidney Bristol has had a ‘normal’ life. She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, tattoo addict and board game enthusiast. She grew up in a motor-home on the US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she spends her time writing, reading, hunting Pokemon, playing board games and catering to her furry overlords, aka the cats.

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About the Book:

Anderson Gratney does odd jobs that usually involve a gun and covert ops for the CIA. His latest assignment? Kidnap a CIA analyst in order to keep her safe. Easy. Except there’s nothing simple about the beautiful, careful Carol Sark, who tempts him the more he learns about her.

Coming face to face with a masked man in her home is the most terrifying experience of Carol’s life—until he kidnaps her. He claims he’s there to keep her safe, but she doesn’t know who to trust. And until they can figure out who the threat is, she's forced to take him at his word.

Time is ticking, and even though she drives him nuts, Anderson very much wants to keep her alive. Unfortunately, the assassins have other ideas…

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Excerpt

Andy lunged into the shed and yanked the line on the detonator caps. Sparks hissed as the charges caught. He didn’t have time to ensure the countdown started. He jumped onto the snowmobile and gunned the engine, swerving the high-powered vehicle around.

They needed as many objects between them and the shooters as possible.

A figure leaned over the railing.

Andy squeezed the accelerator and they shot forward. He swerved. Shots rang out, hitting the snow, sending up plumes of flurries.

Five…

He cut behind the house.

Glass shattered and a shot hit the plastic casing on the front of the snowmobile.

Four…

Carol screamed.

Andy banked, turning so fast he felt Carol nearly whip off the side.

Three…

A blast so loud the snow seemed to ripple from the concussion wave rang out. Andy lurched forward and Carol’s yell was lost amid the sound of the explosion.

They tumbled sideways off the snowmobile.

The timing was off.

Debris hit the snow, raining down.

Andy rolled, pinning Carol under him, protecting her with his body. She sobbed into the material of his jacket.

“Carol.” He barked her name, killing all kindness inside of him. It was natural to panic. Any normal person would, but they didn’t have that luxury. “Pull it together. We have to go.”

He pushed up, grabbing hold of her arm and hauling her up with him. He couldn’t coddle her, couldn’t spend precious moments assuring her it would be okay. They needed to get clear, in case there were satellites aimed at them or if the two shooters weren’t dead. Chances were, if these people were good enough to find them, they were good enough to survive the traps.

Andy glanced back. The front right side of the house was blown out and flames licked the sky. With any luck, everything they’d brought with them would burn with the follow-up charges.

“Come on. Now.” He didn’t see movement from the two shooters, but he also didn’t see any bodies.

Unless he saw them dead, he’d assume they were alive.

He wanted to go back, finish the job, but that would mean leaving Carol vulnerable. He couldn’t do that.

Andy picked her up and carried her to the snowmobile. He righted it, put her on the back, and climbed on. He’d hoped they would have more time here, but they didn’t.

He gunned the engine and they shot forward, sailing through the trees.

Andy headed south until he spied a landmark, an almost perfectly smooth, sphere-shaped boulder. He pulled the snowmobile into the shelter created by the huge rock resting against the side of the mountain, and killed the engine.

“W-why are we stopping?” Carol’s voice trembled.

“I need you to go through your pockets. Take everything out, understand?”

“Why?”

“Carol—”

“Fine,” she snapped.

Andy edged out, almost into the open, closed his eyes and listened.

Carol sniffled and wrestled with her coat, all the layers of fluffy down.

“Shh,” he said quietly.

Was anyone following them?