Guy watched the man assess each device with the careful attention of an enraptured lover, masterfully prolonging the young man’s terror. Give a victim long enough, and he’ll create plenty of painful scenes in his own mind that the interrogator need only touch his weapon to the prisoner’s skin to elicit a full, babbling confession.
He couldn’t walk away from the poor soul struggling on the table, nor could he cold-bloodedly put an end to his misery. The young man was a countryman, not his enemy, and he would never leave one of his own in Valère’s hands.
With great care, he withdrew a six-inch hunting knife from his boot. He heard Danforth curse softly, violently, behind him, and then a rustle of movement. His hand shot out to stay his friend, and a short struggle ensued. Their roles now reversed, Guy whispered in Danforth’s ear, “There’s no way around, and I’m not leaving him here.”
“We don’t have time—”
“I’m. Not. Leaving. Him.”
After a moment, Danforth gave a sharp nod and settled into the rear support position once more, anger dripping off him in waves.
He couldn’t blame his friend for wanting to press on. Evil penetrated every crack and hollow of this place. Even with his vast experience with the darker side of human nature, Guy felt trapped and edgy and unusually desperate.
Guy shifted his attention to the prisoner just as the young man’s head swiveled toward the open doorway. Bleakness and terror etched his swollen, blood-encrusted face, but something more blazed behind the young man’s steady gaze—strength, fortitude, and a hint of hope.
He was a fighter, a warrior entombed in a rapidly weakening young man’s body. A rush of fury mixed with a healthy dose of respect surged through Guy. How did one so young get involved with the likes of Valère?
The prisoner’s chest rose high with each deep, agonized breath. As his torturer intended, the young man knew Boucher’s next attempt at pulling information from him would be far worse than the last.
Candlelight flickered over his youthful features. When the prisoner focused in on Guy’s position, his terrified blue-green eyes—or eye, as one was little more than a bloated slit—opened wide.
Guy’s heart jolted, fearing the young man would call out. With an index finger to his lips, he motioned for the prisoner to remain quiet.
Familiarity washed over Guy again. His gaze cleaved to the prisoner’s; his focus sharpened.
Blue-green eyes. An unusual color Guy had seen only once before. His muscles contracted. A wave of frigid heat swept across every inch of his skin, and nausea twisted in his gut.
He knew those eyes.
The young man wasn’t a man at all. But a goddamned woman.
Cora.
Acknowledgments
Many, many thanks to TEAM DEVLYN—Leah Hultenschmidt, Jennifer Udden, Beth Pehlke, Kimberly Manley, Cat Clyne, and the rest of the gang at Sourcebooks and Donald Maass Literary Agency who worked so hard on A Lady’s Secret Weapon. I appreciate every single one of you so very much.
Hugs to my awesome brainstorming and critique partners—Adrienne Giordano, Kelsey Browning, Theresa Stevens, and Tara Kingston. I couldn’t imagine writing a story without you.
ROMANCEANDSUSPENSE.COM authors Nancy Naigle, Tracy March, Kelsey Browning, and Adrienne Giordano—you ladies rock!! Thanks for sharing the journey with me.
DANGEROUS DARLINGS Street Team—you know how dear you are to me! It’s impossible to express the depth of my gratitude for all your tweets, shares, reviews, promo distribution, and good ol’ fashioned verbal recommendations. Darlings, you’re the best. Muwah!! A special hug and thanks to Danielle Gorman for keeping the team organized.
Enormous thanks to Chicagoland readers for making it to Lady Jane’s Salon-Naperville every other month to hear our live readings from talented authors, to sip chocolaty beverages from Le Chocolat de Bouchard, and to support our local booksellers, Anderson’s and Brain Snacks, and our wonderful charity, Celebrate Differences. It’s so fun hanging out with you all.
Additional hugs go to the kind and generous souls of Barbara Vey and Dianna Love—two incredibly supportive and amazing women, to Betsy Scaletta for her awesome equestrian expertise and for always making me laugh, and to Coach Amy for helping me find the courage to write my first word.
Readers, booksellers, librarians, reviewers, and bloggers who have embraced the Nexus series—thank you, thank you, thank you!
And last, but never least, all my heartfelt love and gratitude goes to Tim, Sarah, Helene, and the rest of my family. Thanks for putting up with my frequent absences and for your constant words of encouragement. XOXO.
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Checkmate, My Lord
by Tracey Devlyn
The stakes are high, the players in position…
Catherine Ashcroft leads a quiet life caring for her precocious seven-year-old daughter, until a late-night visitor delivers a startling ultimatum. She will match wits with the enigmatic Earl of Somerton, and it’s not just her heart that’s in danger.
Let the games begin…
Spymaster Sebastian Danvers, Earl of Somerton, is famous for his cunning. Few can outwit him and even fewer dare challenge him—until now. After returning to his country estate, his no-nonsense neighbor turns her seductive wiles on him—but why would a respectable widow like Catherine risk scandal for a few passionate nights in his bed?
Praise for A Lady’s Revenge:
“Devlyn makes a unique mark on the genre with her powerful prose and gripping theme.”—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
“Devlyn reveals the darkness of the spy game and entices readers with a talented and determined heroine.”—Publishers Weekly
For more Tracey Devlyn, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
True Spies
by Shana Galen
He’s getting tired of deception…
Baron Winslow Keating is honor-bound to finish one last mission as an elite spy for the Barbican group even though he just wants to go home and be with his family. But after years of secrecy and absence, his daughters hardly know him and his wife has given up on him…
She wants to try a little intrigue…
Lady Elinor has had enough of domestic boredom. She contemplates an affair with a rakish spy, only to discover a world of intrigue and treachery that she never knew existed. Even more shocking, her neglectful husband is suddenly very attentive—quite the jealous type—and apparently there is much more to him than she ever knew…
Praise for Shana Galen:
“Galen is a grand mistress of the action/adventure subgenre.”—RT Book Reviews, Top Pick of the Month, 4.5 Stars
“I know I can always turn to Shana Galen for fast paced, sexy adventurous romances…”—Rogues Under the Covers
For more Shana Galen, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
About the Author
Tracey Devlyn writes historical romantic thrillers (translation: a slightly more grievous journey toward the heroine’s happy ending). She’s a co-founder of Romance University, a group blog dedicated to readers and writers of romance, and Lady Jane’s Salon-Naperville, Chicagoland’s exciting new reading salon devoted to romantic fiction.
An Illinois native, Tracey spends her evenings harassing her once-in-a-lifetime husband and her weekends torturing her characters. For more information on Tracey, including her Internet haunts, contest updat
es, and details on her upcoming novels, please visit her website at www.TraceyDevlyn.com.
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