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Just A Little Bit Dangerous
Linda Castillo
When Deputy Sheriff Jake Madigan was called to duty to bring in an escaped convict, he thought it would be a routine search-and-rescue mission. He was wrong. Turns out capturing Abby Nichols was a cinch compared to hauling her out of the Rocky Mountains during a treacherous blizzard. His pretty-as-sin prisoner was not the hardened criminal he had expected but a violet-eyed seductress who could almost make him forget his by-the-book ways.Jake knew that come hell or high water he would turn this woman over to the authorities once the storm passed. So why was he dodging bullets on her behalf and buying into her claim of innocence? Why was he so willing to warm her shivering body with his heated caresses? Why was he foolishly falling for his fugitive?
“I know you won’t shoot me in the back,” Abby said.
“You try something stupid and you know I’ll come after you,” Jake responded.
She rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m not some Denver daisy who went out for a jog this morning. I’ve trained for six months for this. I’m in good shape.”
He didn’t want to think about what kind of shape she was in. He’d seen her long, toned legs and flat belly. He’d seen the muscle definition in her arms. Yeah, she was in damn good shape, all right. So good he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
She approached him. “Let me go.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m a cop, damn it.”
Jake didn’t want to have this conversation. It wasn’t his responsibility to judge her guilt or innocence or any of those gray areas in between. All he was supposed to do was take her back.
And he planned to do that, come hell or high water.
Dear Reader,
Once again, Intimate Moments invites you to experience the thrills and excitement of six wonderful romances, starting with Justine Davis’s Just Another Day in Paradise. This is the first in her new miniseries, REDSTONE, INCORPORATED, and you’ll be hooked from the first page to the last by this suspenseful tale of two meant-to-be lovers who have a few issues to work out on the way to a happy ending—like being taken hostage on what ought to be an island paradise.
ROMANCING THE CROWN continues with Secret-Agent Sheik, by Linda Winstead Jones. Hassan Kamal is one of those heroes no woman can resist—except for spirited Elena Rahman, and even she can’t hold out for long. Our introduction to the LONE STAR COUNTRY CLUB winds up with Maggie Price’s Moment of Truth. Lovers are reunited and mysteries are solved—but not all of them, so be sure to look for our upcoming anthology, Lone Star Country Club: The Debutantes, next month. RaeAnne Thayne completes her OUTLAW HARTES trilogy with Cassidy Harte and the Comeback Kid, featuring the return of the prodigal groom. Linda Castillo is back with Just a Little Bit Dangerous, about a romantic Rocky Mountain rescue. Finally, welcome new author Jenna Mills, whose Smoke and Mirrors will have you eagerly looking forward to her next book.
And, as always, be sure to come back next month for more of the best romantic reading around, right here in Intimate Moments.
Enjoy!
Leslie J. Wainger
Executive Senior Editor
Just a Little Bit Dangerous
Linda Castillo
LINDA CASTILLO
grew up in a small farming community in western Ohio. She knew from a very early age that she wanted to be a writer—and penned her first novel at the age of thirteen, during one of those long Ohio winters. Her dream of becoming a published author came true the day Silhouette called and wanted to buy one of her books!
Romance is at the heart of all her stories. She loves the idea of two fallible people falling in love amid danger and against their better judgment—or so they think. She enjoys watching them struggle through their problems, realize their weaknesses and strengths along the way and, ultimately, fall head over heels in love.
She is the winner of numerous writing awards, including the prestigious Maggie Award for Excellence. In 1999, she was a triple Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist and took first place in the romantic suspense division. In 2001, she was a RITA
finalist with her first Silhouette release, Remember the Night.
Linda spins her tales of love and intrigue from her home in Dallas, Texas, where she lives with her husband and three lovable dogs. Check out her Web site at www.lindacastillo.com. Or you can contact her at P.O. Box 670501, Dallas, Texas 75367-0501.
To Papi,
Because you couldn’t put it down.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 1
He smelled adrenaline the instant he walked into Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue headquarters. It hung in the air like spent powder after a gunshot. Rich and electric and as contagious as an airborne disease to a man who lived for the high.
Jake Madigan lived for the high.
His own adrenaline had ebbed and flowed since the 4:00 a.m. call that had rolled him out of bed. As head of the RMSAR equine unit, he normally didn’t attend the briefings. For most call-outs—a lost hiker or injured rock climber—Jake hauled his horse directly to the site, disembarked and took to the high country. This time, however, team leader Buzz Malone had made it a point to ask him to be at the mass briefing. Jake wondered what had drawn six men from their beds at four o’clock on a Sunday morning. He wondered if it had anything to do with the Colorado Department of Corrections van parked outside.
Shaking off the cold, he hung his duster on the coat tree, set his Stetson on top, and started down the hall where he could hear his fellow team members settling in. In most cases, he’d been told the briefings were informal and held in the galley. This morning, however, the galley stood empty, and light blazed from the war room. A room usually reserved for the press or high-profile operations run by government agency bigwigs.
Jake didn’t much care for government agency bigwigs.
He entered the war room and scanned its occupants, his eyes grinding to a halt on the two men at the front wearing wrinkled suits and grim expressions. He knew immediately the suits belonged to the D.O.C. van outside. He wondered if they’d lost one of their clientele; if they were more interested in getting their convict back—or covering their bureaucratic butts.
At the coffee station set up at the rear, medic John Maitland dumped caffeine into a disposable cup. Snagging his own cup from the table, Jake held it out. “You look like you’ve been up all night, Maitland.”
He filled Jake’s cup. “I drew baby-feeding duty last night.”
Jake wasn’t too keen on the domestic scene these days, but the thought of his teammate getting up in the middle of the night to feed a screaming baby made him grin nonetheless. Nine months ago John Maitland had been a confirmed bachelor. All that had changed the day he’d rescued a pretty redhead up on Elk Ridge. He was now married, with a three-month-old baby girl. Even sleep-deprived he looked happy as hell.
“Baby-feeding duty, huh?” Jake said.
“Beth is breastfeeding, but we’re supplementing with bottles at night so we can take turns with the night shifts. It was my turn last night.”
The word “breastfeeding” rang uncomfortably in Jake’s ears. Trying not to wince, he waited a beat then changed the subject. “What’s up with the D.O.C. van outside?”
“Inmate sneaked out a gymnasium window last night down at Buena Vista.”
“We on alert?”
“That’s right.” John looked over his shoulder to where Buzz Malone huddled with the two suits. “Escapee is a lifer, went in for second-degree murder.”
The worst kind, Jake thought, glancing in Buzz’s direction. A killer on the run with nothing to lose.
“Looks like that pretty wife of yours is keeping you up nights, Maitland.”
Both men turned their heads to see Tony “Flyboy” Colorosa, RMSAR’s Bell 412 helicopter pilot—and resident Romeo—splash coffee into a cup.
“You look like you had a late one yourself, Flyboy,” Jake said.
“What can I say, Jake? Some of us actually have social lives.” Tony whistled a tune as he spooned sugar into his coffee. “You should try it sometime. Might improve that surly attitude of yours.”
“Yeah, and it might stop snowing in Colorado one of these days.” Grinning, Maitland slapped Jake on the back.
Trying not to grimace, Jake blew on his coffee.
“Gentlemen, take a seat.” Buzz moved to the head of the table. “We’re on a tight clock this morning, so I’ll keep this brief.”
Jake took the chair next to junior medic Pete Scully.
Buzz continued. “The State of Colorado Department of Corrections has asked for our help in locating an escapee from prison. Robert Singletary and Jim Neels are with D.O.C., which is our designated agency-in-charge. Jim is going to brief you on our mission objectives.” Buzz gave the floor to the man standing beside him.
Jim Neels was a middle-aged man with hound-dog features and the build of a retired linebacker. His hopelessly wrinkled suit coupled with the half moons beneath his eyes revealed he’d already had a long night. His dour expression suggested he knew the day ahead would be even longer.
“Sometime between ten last night and three-thirty this morning, an inmate escaped from the Buena Vista Corrections Center for Women,” he began. “Abigail Nichols, twenty-seven years old, is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence at our facility. We’re in the process of setting up a perimeter, but there’s a lot of country to cover and we need your help.” Neels scanned the men. “This is a search-only operation, gentlemen. If you come in contact with Nichols, you are advised to use extreme caution.” His gaze fell to Jake. “Mr. Madigan, you’re the only law enforcement officer on the team?”
“I’m a deputy sheriff with Chaffee County.”
Nodding, Neels continued. “Aside from Deputy Madigan, if you come in contact with the subject, do not attempt to detain her or to take her into custody. Call D.O.C. for backup. RMSAR dispatch has been informed to patch you straight through. Is that understood?”
Tony Colorosa yawned. John Maitland drained the last of his coffee from his cup. Even Pete Scully looked bored. Trying not to smile, Jake leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs at his ankles and studied his boots. The men of RMSAR didn’t like some suit from D.O.C. coming in and telling them how to do their jobs. They were the best of the best and had yet to encounter a search-and-rescue mission they couldn’t pull off.
“This woman has a history of mental illness,” Neels added. “She may have an accomplice, but we don’t know who that person is at this time. Be advised that she may be armed and should be considered dangerous.”
“Do you have a location?” Jake asked. “Any sightings?”
Buzz walked to an easel where a topography map illustrated the five-county area surrounding the prison. Suit Number Two came to life and pointed out the corrections facility. “This is our facility at Buena Vista. We’ve got a five-hour window. The average person travels at about 3.2 miles per hour on foot. We think she went west.” He indicated a highlighted area. “That should put her somewhere in this yellow area here.”
“Does she have a vehicle?” Jake asked.
“Not that we know of, but it’s possible her accomplice left one at a predesignated point.”
Jake snorted. “If she’s on foot and went west, she’s not going to make very good time. It’s rugged country up there.”
Suit Number Two grimaced. “Nichols is very…determined.”
Jake wasn’t sure exactly what the other man meant, but he let it go. No matter how determined, a human being on foot could only cover so much ground. “What about gear?”
“State-issue jumpsuit—gray. Blue jacket. White sneakers. That’s all she’s got unless someone left clothing for her at a predesignated drop-off point.”
“Anyone bringing in dogs?” Buzz asked.
“Chaffee County is covering that. Forest service has notified all the area ranger stations.”
“What about a physical description?” John asked.
The suit flipped the easel page, and the room fell abruptly silent. The mug shot of a young woman with a mane of curly brown hair streaked generously with platinum blond arrested the attention of every man. Jake saw wide eyes the color of a mountain lake reflecting a violet sky. Thin, dark brows. A full mouth with just enough pout to keep a man on his toes. A graceful neck that called every man in the room to crane forward to see the rest of the package.
Jake broke a sweat beneath his flannel shirt and long johns. He stared, more than a little surprised and a hell of a lot more intrigued than he wanted to be. The lovely creature staring back at him didn’t look like an escaped con. Maybe a shampoo commercial model with all that wild, sun-bleached hair.
“She’s five feet five inches,” Suit Number Two said. “One hundred fifteen pounds. Violet eyes. Blond hair.”
The voice faded as Jake’s attention zeroed in on the mug shot. Her skin was flawless and pale as sweet cream. Her expression reflected defiance and an attitude that took a hard left just short of good. Her eyes spoke of a woman’s secrets and beckoned the unwary to trust her.
Jake definitely didn’t fall into the unwary category. Two years ago he’d played the fool for a woman with a pretty face and a tale of woe. Her betrayal still cut him on occasion, when he let himself think about it. He knew better than most that looks could be deceiving. And he knew firsthand what it was like to be on the receiving end of deceit. He felt the knife in his back to this day, and he’d sworn a hundred times he’d never be taken in again.
“Any questions?”
Jake cleared the cobwebs from his throat. “Any idea where she’s heading?”
“We found a map in her cell with a penciled-in route that indicated east. But we think it was a ploy to throw us off. We’re setting up patrols to the east, but as I already mentioned we suspect she’s heading west, into the higher elevations.” Checking his watch, the suit turned the floor over to Buzz.
Buzz looked at Tony Colorosa. “Flyboy, what’s the situation on the weather?”
Tony came to attention. He might be the resident Romeo, but he took his job as chopper pilot serious to the extreme. “Weather Service put out an advisory about an hour ago. There’s a low-pressure system to the northwest, building up steam and heading this way. It’s packing two feet of snow and high winds that’ll hit fifty knots by this afternoon. Gusts are at thirty-five right now. I’d say we have about two hours of fly time, four max before I’ll have to recall to base.”
Buzz didn’t look happy about sending his pilot out in iffy weather. “That gives us four hours with the chopper, gentlemen. The rest of the search will be conducted on the ground. Tell your mommies and girlfriends you’re not going to be home for breakfast, lunch or dinner.” Buzz made eye contact with Jake. “Where do you want to start?”
Jake looked at the map, took a few seconds to put himself in the subject’s head. “I’ll drop the trailer west of Buena Vista, see if I can pick up some tracks.”
