Harlequin Intrigue July 2015 - Box Set 2 of 2: Under Fire\Lawman Protection\The Detective by Carol Ericson

Author:Carol Ericson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Harlequin Desire
Publisher: Harlequin

Chapter Eleven

“Emma? Emma!”

Graham hadn’t realized he’d been shouting until Randall and Marco rushed into his office. “Something wrong, Captain?” Randall asked, amusement dancing in his hazel eyes. Ever since Carmen had reported on Graham’s and Emma’s nearly naked state in the middle of the afternoon—and her joke gift of a large box of condoms—Ranger headquarters had echoed with good-natured gibes at Graham’s expense. “I don’t think Ms. Wade is here,” Randall added.

“Something’s gone wrong,” Graham said. “Something’s happened to Emma.” One minute he’d picked up the phone, elated and relieved to see her number on the screen. The next, he’d heard her low, anguished moan and a sound like screeching brakes. Then—nothing. He sank into his desk chair. He’d never admit it to his men, but his legs shook too much to hold him. If anything happened to Emma...

No. He wouldn’t even think it. He had to pull himself together and help her. “She had an appointment with Richard Prentice this morning,” he said, his voice steadier. “She’d agreed to call me when the interview was over. That was the call, but all I heard was a moan, then the phone went dead.”

“Maybe it was just a bad connection,” Randall said. “Have you tried calling her back?”

Graham snatched the phone from where he’d let it drop on his desk. He punched in Emma’s number and waited for the ring. “I’m sorry, the person you are trying to reach is not available, or out of area. If you wish to leave a voice mail...”

He shoved the phone in his pocket and moved out from behind the desk. “I’m going out there,” he said.

Marco grabbed him, the DEA agent’s grip like an iron vise. “Not a good idea,” he said.

“He already thinks we’re harassing him,” Randall said. “If you show up out there and Emma’s all right, you’ll only be adding fuel to his lawsuit.”

“And if she’s not all right, you won’t be doing her any favors barging in on him.” Marco’s expression was grim.

Much as he wanted to run to Emma’s rescue, he recognized the sense in his men’s advice. The first rule of a hostage situation was to step back and make an assessment. Charging the scene was a recipe for disaster, especially if you weren’t sure where the hostage was or what had happened. He didn’t know if Emma was a hostage or not, but he wouldn’t help her by rushing to her rescue without a plan.

“Is Carmen here?” he asked.

“I’m here.” She must have been listening right outside the door. She joined the three men in Graham’s office. “What can I do to help?”

“Call Richard Prentice and ask to speak to Emma. Tell anyone who answers that you’re a girlfriend and the two of you were supposed to meet for lunch, but now you can’t reach her by phone. You knew she had the interview scheduled and you need to get a message to her that you’re running late.”

“You want me to use my phone or yours?” she asked.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.