Just as his arms gave out, his knee brushed against the rocky coast of the smaller island. A thwapping sounded above him. He recognized it. Helicopters.
Keeping low, he crawled up into the brush. A jagged edge shredded his pants and slit his skin but he barely felt the cut. The sound of his heavy breathing echoed around him. Branches and some plant with sharp needles jabbed into him, but he kept going.
He shimmied on his knees and elbows until he landed in the protected cover of the overhanging trees. Turning over, he stared up into the canopy of green. Patches of blue sky poked through the trees and fluffy white clouds blew by.
On any other day, under any other circumstances he would declare it a perfect day to be outside. But today was his nightmare. A job gone deadly wrong.
He closed his eyes and the haunting sound of the sister’s cries came rushing back to him. He feared the noise would always fill his brain, as would the guilt of not being able to do enough for Tabitha, a woman he didn’t actually know.
Exhaustion tugged at him. He could feel his muscles crying out for rest. For a bed. For quiet. For any place that was not here.
He turned onto his side and forced his body up on one elbow. His joints groaned in protest. At thirty-four that never happened, but he didn’t have any energy left. The adrenaline surge that got him across that water had all but vanished. Now he lay there in the shade, wet and with cooling skin.
He pushed up to his knee and his body buckled. He couldn’t put any weight on his left side. Even through the dark, soaked clothes he saw a fresh spurt of blood. It stained the ground where he’d just kneeled. He used his gloved palm to cover the red blotch with dirt.
Pushing the whole way up, he hobbled on one leg. Half bounced and half dragged his body over to the nearest tree trunk and tried to get his bearings. He’d staked out Tabitha Island from here and left backup supplies. His Plan B. Random items without any identifying marks. The most important being a satellite phone. The ultimate emergency safeguard that he had planned to double back and pick up when he finished the job.
So much for thinking today’s work would be fast and easy.
It took another five minutes to get to his hiding place. A helicopter had landed on the island and boats were circling, some filled with tourists looking to see what was happening and others in transit to likely lock the place down.
He reached for the duffle bag and ripped the zipper open. He still wore the gloves. They were molded to his hands now and stiff. He dialed one of the few numbers he ever called. If the sat phone was the backup plan, this phone number qualified as the end-of-the-world measure he never wanted to invoke.
The line rang once then a deep voice came on the line. “Yes?”
That was it. No greeting or introduction. Just a stern, half-angry bark. For the first time in an hour Harris felt relief. Like he might actually survive today.
“It’s Harris.” He blew out a long breath and said the words he’d vowed never to say again. “I need you.”
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About the Author
HELENKAY DIMON spent the years before becoming a romance author as a divorce attorney. Not the usual transition, she knows. Good news is she now writes full-time and is much happier. She has sold over forty novels and novellas to numerous publishers. Her nationally bestselling and award-winning books have been showcased in numerous venues and her books have twice been named Red-Hot Reads and excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine. You can learn more at her website: www.helenkaydimon.com.
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By HelenKay Dimon
The Negotiator (novella)
The Pretender
The Enforcer
The Fixer
Under the Wire
Facing Fire
Falling Hard
Playing Dirty
Running Hot (novella)
A Letter from the Editor
Dear Reader,
I hope you liked the latest romance from Avon Impulse! If you’re looking for another steamy, fun, emotional read, be sure to check out some of our upcoming titles. Historical romance fans are in luck because we have two great new titles this winter!
First up, we have another male/male romance from Cat Sebastian coming in December! IT TAKES TWO TO TUMBLE launches Cat’s brand new series, Seducing the Sedgwicks, and it’s a steamy story of a country vicar who is asked to help wrangle the children of a stern but gloriously handsome sea captain . . . the two men can’t seem to keep their hands off each other!
In January, we have a delightful, charming debut novel from Marie Tremayne! LADY IN WAITING features a runaway bride who takes a position as a maid in a lord’s household. He’s incredibly tempted by his new servant but he knows they can never be together due to class differences . . . or can they? You don’t want to miss this fantastic first book in Marie’s Reluctant Brides trilogy!
You can purchase any of these titles by clicking the links above or by visiting our website, www.AvonRomance.com. Thank you for loving romance as much as we do . . . enjoy!
Sincerely,
Nicole Fischer
Editorial Director
Avon Impulse
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Excerpt from The Pretender copyright © 2018 by HelenKay Dimon.
the negotiator. Copyright © 2017 by HelenKay Dimon. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Digital Edition NOVEMBER 2017 ISBN: 978-0-06-274984-0
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-274985-7
Cover photograph by Yasmeen Anderson Photography
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Avon and HarperCollins are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
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The Negotiator: A Games People Play Christmas Novella Page 12