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When Jack Killigrew’s phone rang, it usually meant someone’s life was on the line Since he was on leave from the US Marshals Service office in Albuquerque, the only calls he would be receiving were in his capacity as a Special Operations Group deputy As such, he was a last resort and on call twenty-four hours a day His twelve-man response team was activated only after the shit had already hit the fan

There were a lot of eh Jack when he was called in, but relief wasn’t usually one the for an excuse to head in the opposite direction

His fellow deputies would laugh if they kne edgy he was getting with every mile that passed As a SOG deputy marshal—a Shadow Stalker—he squared off with hardened criminals and suicidal terrorists as a matter of course He hunted and apprehended the country’s itives He did his job with uys called hi He faced death as if he had nothing to lose or nothing to live for

Yet the thought of facing Rachel Tse was shredding him

“Killigrew,” he answered via the hands-free Bluetooth control in his steering wheel He’d already noted the lack of a shoulder on the two-lane road With agricultural fields on each side of hi Chevy Silverado around wouldn’t be easy

“Jack”

Christ The voice on the other end of the line reverberated through hiunshot report

“Rachel,” he replied gruffly, slowly recovering froht?”

“Yes” She said the word breathlessly, whichif you’d be here in time for lunch”

“Lunch?” God, he was screwed His best friend’s as winded froodson and he was getting a boner

It had been two years since he’d last seen her, but apparently ti as he could, but the time had come to deal with it Steve’s last request had eaten into hih to become hazardous Jack couldn’t allow his own personal crap to jeopardize his team any more than it already had

“Jack? Did I lose you?”

“I’ in ti to happen”

There was a pause, as if she sensed the lie

He hated bullshitting her, but he couldn’t see her today He needed tiht He hadn’t taken a leave of absence in years and without work to occupy hi too damn much about her Visions of her blond hair fisted in his handsher taut, sweet nipples tightening against his tongueher long, lithe legs spreading in invitation

Getting that obsession under control was a necessity if he had any hope of convincing her she was off the hook as far as he was concerned He was still reeling from Steve’s request that he look after her if she was ever left alone Jack realized his friend must have kno he felt As careful as he’d been to hide his longing, so must have betrayed him

And that killed hi his best friend is in love with his wife

“Where are you?” she pressed

“I haven’t reached King City yet” Jack had passed K

ing City long ago and was about twenty minutes away froe in Carers who rented it out for hiht He’d get his bearings and be better capable of facing her in the

“Let’s ht at a friend’s house so I can wrap his gifts without hi It’ll be just you and me We can catch up”

Just her and hiht Jack could ih Rachel’s head now She’d been crazy about Steve Madly in love If she thought Steve wanted theh he scared the shit out of her Part of his job was reading people, and as focused on her as his instincts were, there wasn’t a daister When he walked into the roo, bodyrestlessly Her pri hier for her

“How about I take you two out to breakfast in the h with desire “Then I’ll help you finish setting up for his party”

“All right But if you make it into town sooner, call me And be careful on the road”

It wasn’t a casual warning for Rachel Steve had been killed by a drunk driver on the way ho all of their lives forever

Jack hung up Shifting on the seat, he adjusted the fit of his jeans, which was now extremely uncomfortable Ahead of hih the tiny town of Spreckles

It was going to be a long week

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Jack twisted off the top of his fourth beer and tossed the metal cap in the trash Then he headed back out the open sliding glass doors to his small fenced-in patio His bare feet sank into the sand and he drank deeply, absently ad across the sky As the sun dipped below the horizon, the te with it It was hts of Rachel kept hio shirtless

He was beginning to think drinking had been a bad idea The alcohol wasn’t ses of his lust at all He was acutely aware of the fact that Rachel was hoht now and he was only a short drive away If he left now, he could be inside her within thirty minutes He had no doubt he could seduce her He also had no doubt that she’d regret it in the

It wasn’t her fault he was strung out fro her She’d never led him on or enticed him Rachel was shy and quiet unless she was surrounded by people she felt co raised by an aunt who reminded her daily what a burden she was At least in his childhood, when he made himself invisible, he’d been left alone She had been verbally abused and tormented no matter what she’d done

His cell phone rang and he cursed as he withdrew it from his pocket The caller ID told hiuy who’d saved Jack’s ass more than once

“Killigrew,” he answered

“So, have you seen her yet?”

“No”

“Man, that would have been e and your problem would be solved”