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The Specialist
Dani Sinclair
By day, these agents are cowboys: by night they are specialized government operatives. Men bound by love, loyalty and the law–they've vowed to keep their missions and identities confidential….THE MISSION: TRANSFORM PLAIN JANE TO FEMME FATALEGoing undercover in a powerful criminal's organization was Texas Confidential agent Rafe Alvarez's specialty, but he'd never had a partner before. And never one like Kendra Kincaide. He'd transformed the mousy woman into a deadly beauty for the sake of the assignment, but now his own heart was in jeopardy….Rafe's every kiss made Kendra forget her purpose, his every touch threatened to expose her secret past. Their passion boiled over in the midst of a dangerous mission and put them both at risk. With their cover blown and their identities bared, would their passion survive another night?
“If you kiss me, you’ll smear my makeup.”
“I’m willing to take that chance.”
“We have a job to do.” As hard as it was to push him away, Kendra knew it would be impossible to go through with her plans if she let him make love to her now.
“Spoilsport. You know I’ll have to beat the men away with a club, don’t you? Nervous?”
“Of course I am.” Scared spitless would be closer to the truth. They were posing as a man-and-wife security team for a powerful and deadly criminal. Anything could go wrong. “I’d be a fool not to be.”
“I’ll be nearby at all times,” Rafe promised. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Then let’s get this over with. Remember one thing,” he said as they started down the hall. “All night long I’m going to be peeling that dress from your body in my mind. So if you want something to really worry about, think about what’s going to happen when we have to share that bed later on.”
Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,
The days are getting cooler, but the romantic suspense is always hot at Harlequin Intrigue! Check out this month’s selections.
TEXAS CONFIDENTIAL continues with The Specialist (#589) by Dani Sinclair. Rafe Alvarez was the resident playboy agent, until he met his match in Kendra Kincaide. He transformed his new partner into a femme fatale for the sake of a mission, and instantly lost his bachelor’s heart for the sake of love.…
THE SUTTON BABIES have grown in number by two in Little Boys Blue (#590) by Susan Kearney. A custody battle over cowboy M.D. Cameron Sutton’s baby boys was brewing. When East Coast socialite Alexa Whitfield agreed to a marriage of convenience, Cam thought his future was settled. Until he fell for his temporary wife—the same wife someone was determined to kill!
Hailed by Romantic Times Magazine as an author who writes a “tantalizing read,” Gayle Wilson returns with Midnight Remembered (#591), which marks the conclusion of her MORE MEN OF MYSTERY series. When ex-CIA agent Joshua Stone couldn’t remember his true identity, he became an easy target. But his ex-partner Paige Daniels knew all his secrets, including what was in his heart.…
Reeve Snyder had rescued Polly Black from death and delivered her baby girl one fateful night. Polly’s vulnerable beauty touched him deep inside, but who was she? And what was she running from? And next time, would Reeve be able to save her and her daughter when danger came calling? Find out in Alias Mommy (#592) by Linda O. Johnston.
Don’t miss a single exciting moment!
Sincerely,
Denise O’Sullivan
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin Intrigue
The Specialist
Dani Sinclair
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An avid reader, Dani Sinclair didn’t discover romance novels until her mother lent her one when she came for a visit. Dani’s been hooked on the genre ever since. With the premiere of Mystery Baby for Harlequin Intrigue in 1996, Dani discovered she not only enjoyed reading this genre, she loved writing the intense stories, as well. Her third novel, Better Watch Out, was a RITA Award finalist in 1998. Dani lives outside Washington, D.C., a place she’s found to be a great source for both intrigue and humor!
Books by Dani Sinclair
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE
371—MYSTERY BABY
401—MAN WITHOUT A BADGE
448—BETTER WATCH OUT
481—MARRIED IN HASTE
507—THE MAN SHE MARRIED
539—FOR HIS DAUGHTER* (#litres_trial_promo)
551—MY BABY, MY LOVE* (#litres_trial_promo)
565—THE SILENT WITNESS* (#litres_trial_promo)
589—THE SPECIALIST
HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION
690—THE NAKED TRUTH
The Confidential Agent’s Pledge
I hereby swear to uphold the law
to the best of my ability; to maintain the
level of integrity of this agency by my
compassion for victims, loyalty to my
brothers and courage under fire.
And above all, to hold all information and
identities in the strictest confidence….
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Rafe Alvarez—The chameleon; known for his charm, sex appeal and sense of humor, he’ll need the latter to deal with his new “partner.”
Kendra Kincaide—The beautiful computer whiz has a deadly secret and an unknown enemy.
Mitchell Forbes—As head of Texas Confidential, he agrees Kendra’s skills will help their latest mission; he just isn’t sure he trusts her.
Penny Archer—She may be Mitchell’s right-hand woman, but is the left hand hiding a secret crush on Rafe?
Stephen Rialto—The oilman hires only brilliant, attractive, upscale people to work at Rialto Industries—perhaps to hide his other less than legal activities?
Marcus Slade—The man for hire will do anything Rialto tells him to—even kill.
Cody Gannon—The youngest Texas Confidential agent and the only other bachelor left is about to see his past unravel right before his eyes.…
For Angela, Tashya and my fellow “confidentials.”
What a great group to work with.
And always, for Roger, Chip, Dan and Barb.
Contents
Prologue (#uf741dc28-9c80-5dfc-9e62-77bc62014f67)
Chapter One (#u4bb6c273-d3f2-5c69-b48c-beedbef8c950)
Chapter Two (#u25df8306-f797-59bc-9bc1-b9140a7538cb)
Chapter Three (#u155cda1e-65e6-55f9-8147-aff3c4debaa4)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue
Silence stilled even the chirp of crickets. Whicker suddenly lifted his head and stared into the darkness. The creak of leather cracked the silence as Rafe Alvarez sat up straighter in the saddle, coming fully alert. He stroked Whicker’s sleek neck and whispered softly, instantly quieting the massive gelding.
For months the rustlers had seemed to know exactly when and where to strike. They either had the luck of the devil, or they had inside information on the placement of the ranch hands.
Rafe set his jaw. The possibility festered in all their minds. After what his fellow Texas Confidential agent Jake and his wife Abby had gone through because of a mole inside the FBI, tension was heightened for all the agents at the Smoking Barrel Ranch. This was, after all, the headquarters of Texas Confidential, a quietly secretive government organization. Protecting the cattle around the clock on a ranch this size was impossible, especially since the Smoking Barrel was being deliberately and systematically targeted. No doubt Tomaso Calderone, the drug lord they’d been trying to nab for months, was behind the problem, but that begged the question—who else was on his payroll?
Backing his horse into a stand of scrub pines Rafe waited, his hand hovering over the rifle stock. He welcomed this instant rush of adrenaline after the tedious hours of waiting and watching. Rafe liked being a working cowboy, as well as a Texas Confidential agent. So did his colleagues. And none of them liked the strain they’d been working under lately. Rafe welcomed action at this point—any action that would result in the capture of the men responsible for the systematic raids and bring them one step closer to Calderone.
Any moment now, the rustlers would break out over the ridge and be silhouetted clearly against the cooperative moon before the encroaching clouds could darken the landscape once more.
The sound of a hoof striking rock gave him final confirmation. Whicker took several mincing sidesteps, sensing Rafe’s tension. He, too, was eager for action. Rafe soothed him silently as they waited.
A horse and rider abruptly broke the ridge in an easy, almost sanguine canter. Rafe frowned. Rider singular. And this would-be rustler was entirely too confident. Rafe watched him come to a stop at the top of the ridge, pausing to survey the cattle below as if he had every right to be there. The man sat tall, his hat pulled low. With the moon at the stranger’s back, Rafe couldn’t make out any features, but he did catch a reflection beneath the brim. The man wore glasses.
The wind abruptly shifted. The rustler’s paint picked up Whicker’s scent. The smaller horse whinnied a greeting, alerting his rider. The man swiveled to peer at the lone stand of pines.
Rafe dropped his hand from the rifle butt and gently kicked Whicker into a gallop. The well-trained cutting horse gathered himself without effort and sprang forward, even as the rustler whirled, urging his horse into a reckless plunge back down the incline.
Was the fool trying to kill himself?
The rustler had the advantage of the lead, but Whicker’s training and much longer stride made the outcome a given. The smaller paint didn’t stand a chance of outrunning him, though his rider tried. The distance between the two horses closed quickly. It was obvious that the other rider wasn’t going to stop as the two horses thundered dangerously down the embankment, right toward the grazing cattle herd.
A cloud drifted across the moon, darkening the night as Rafe pulled alongside the other rider. The rustler twisted around for a look just as Rafe came abreast. Rafe kicked free of the stirrups and lunged. Like a choreographed movie stunt, momentum carried both of them to the hard-packed earth in a bone-jarring fall. Hats went flying as they rolled several feet before coming to a stop.
Rafe found himself lying full-length along the other’s skinny form. His hand had come to rest inside the intruder’s open jacket front. He was stunned to recognize the softly rounded curve beneath his hand for what it was.
“A girl?”
She gave him a shove. “A woman,” she corrected with haughty disdain.
Her voice flowed over him like warm brandy as she tried to adjust the glasses that were hanging half off her face.
“Rafael Alvarez, I presume?”
Stunned, Rafe could only nod.
Her mouth tightened in a line of anger right before her fist landed against his jaw with enough force to hurt more than his pride. She scrambled out from beneath him, rising to her feet.
“Next time, watch where you put your hands.” She regarded him with narrowed eyes and began dusting off her jeans.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
“I’m Kendra Kincade—your new partner.”
Chapter One
Rafe rose slowly, rubbing his jaw. He was going to have a bruise! In fact, she might just have loosened a couple of his teeth—but he’d be hung before he’d admit that out loud.
“My partner, huh?” He surveyed her lanky, boyish build beneath the dark jacket she wore and the no-nonsense glasses that still hung askew on her narrow face after their tumble. Rafe suddenly found himself wanting to grin. Whoever she was, she was no rustler.
