by Becky Harmon
Table of Contents
Synopsis
Praise for Becky Harmon
Other Books by Becky Harmon
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bella Books
Synopsis
Newly appointed US ambassador Elizabeth Turner is still getting used to her post in Mauritania, Africa. She has lots of plans for her time in office, but those plans are forgotten when a crowd of angry protestors start to gather outside the embassy—bringing both sporadic gunfire and concern for the Ambassador’s safety.
Flagler security agent Angel McTaggart will never understand why an intelligent woman would choose to come to a country where women are devalued. Not that her opinion matters, she knows, because she’s here to do one job and one job only—keep the ambassador safe at all costs.
Angel needs to get the situation under control quickly before an attempt to storm the embassy becomes an option for the rioters. Elizabeth Turner isn’t uncooperative, she reasons, just headstrong and opinionated. Angel knows she’s worked with worse, but no one that’s had the effect on her that the ambassador seems to be having now.
Focusing on her job might be harder than she thinks…
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Praise for Becky Harmon
Listen to Your Heart
Listen to Your Heart is filled with the off-again, never really on-again, allure of the two main characters’ romance. Jemini is convinced she must return to her fulfilling career and unrewarding personal life because she feels Riverview holds nothing for her but unpleasant memories of rejection by her beloved grandmother. Stephanie’s job as deputy sheriff makes for an interesting subplot as she pursues a peeping tom. Harmon’s story has enough mischief and intrigue to keep readers interested. This tale of romance—with a little mystery thrown in for good measure—is an attention-grabbing read that will entertain readers to the end.
—Lambda Literary Review
Tangled Mark
I took pleasure in reading this book and it was exciting to see such sexiness written into an action book. If you are an action reader and looking for a book with engagement and some passionate loving, I’d recommend this book.
—The Lesbian Review
This is a refreshing combination of storyline. Despite the hot romance the action adventure keeps on coming. The plot is full of suspense and definitely creates an intriguing page turner. Excellent debut novel, look forward to reading more, whether it is a sequel/series or something completely different. Definitely one to watch.
— Lesbian Reading Room
This debut novel is an action-packed tale of security agents Nikki Mitchell and Mel Carter, who both work for the same private agency but on opposing sides. Both agents are strong women; they did not get the jobs they have by not being so. And yet what Harmon reveals as we learn more about them is that they each carry vulnerabilities when it comes to matters of the heart. A good debut, and I’m intrigued to see what Harmon will write next.
—Rainbow Book Reviews
About the Author
Becky Harmon was born and raised just south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Though she considers herself to be a Northerner, she moved south in search of warmth. She shares her life with her partner, two cats, and Manny the dog. If you haven’t seen Manny before, you can check out plenty of pictures on Becky’s Facebook page.
Romance has always been Becky’s first love and when she’s not writing it, she’s reading it. Her previous published works, Tangled Mark, New Additions, Illegal Contact, Listen to Your Heart, and Brace for Impact are available from Bella Books.
You can reach Becky at [email protected].
Other Bella Books by Becky Harmon
Brace for Impact
Listen to Your Heart
Illegal Contact
New Additions
Tangled Mark
Copyright © 2020 by Becky Harmon
Bella Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 10543
Tallahassee, FL 32302
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
First Bella Books Edition 2020
eBook released 2020
Editor: Medora MacDougall
Cover Designer: Judith Fellows
ISBN: 978-1-64247-101-4
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Acknowledgments
As always, I am extremely grateful to Linda and Jessica Hill for providing the opportunity for me to share another book. I am honored to have the Bella Books logo on all of my books and to be in the company of so many fantastic authors.
To my coworkers who put up with my ramblings about what I’m writing now and to Angela for anxiously pestering me for the next book to read. And, of course, to Kathy for her always ingenious title suggestions. Even this one that came before the idea of what to write.
Many thanks to those that work behind the scenes at Bella Books with their tireless ideas and enthusiasm. You make Bella the best!
Thank you, Medora MacDougall, for once again helping me craft a work of art.
I had a few ideas for this cover. Thank you, Judy, for combining them all into one.
As with everything I write, there is a lot of fiction. I tried to keep the relevant information pertaining to Mauritania as factual as possible. As for the US embassy in Mauritania, the general description is real, but everything else including the people were all modified to fit the story. Any errors are all mine.
To all the readers, thank you for taking another ride with me. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.
Lastly, to my DB, thank you for never growing bored with just one more read-through.
Dedication
To every American who has ever worked on foreign soil.
Thank you for your service.
Chapter One
Ambassador Elizabeth Turner paced her office, resisting the urge to duck as gunfire erupted once again on the street outside the embassy. She glanced through the four-pane window installed to protect her from physical hazards and tried to locate the gunman in the gathered crowd. Taking a deep breath, she repeated in her head the words that had become her mantra over the last week. I will not be driven out of my embassy.
“Madam Ambassador,” her assistant called through the open door. “Mr. Flagler is on line one.”
“Thank you, Chloe.”
She picked up the headset and switched it on before placing it over her head so she could continue to pace. “Hey, Vince. How are you?”
“I was fine until the secretary of state called me.”
“She did, huh? What did she have to say?”
“She said you needed protection, Ellie.”
She frowned at the serious tone of his voice. She had expected his call but maybe not quite this soon. Her situation wasn’t dire enough to make the six o’clock news back home yet. Apparently her earlier phone call with the secretary of state hadn’t gone as well as she had thought.
“Tell me what’s going on and I’ll send whatever you need,” he continued.
Vince had been her surrogate big brother from the day he had joined her father’s embassy detail as a young Central Intelligence agent. At fifteen, she hadn’t completely understood the dangers of living in Africa. Mauritania was simply her home. Vince had readily added her personal safety to his already heavy load of responsibilities.
Twenty years later when she left her position at the Central Intelligence Agency—a career inspired, in part, by his example—she had considered joining his private security company. Flagler Security worked for and with the US government as well as more clandestine operations around the world. She had seen enough of the secretive behind-the-scenes operations and had instead opted to run for the United States Senate.
“Ellie?”
“Madam Secretary may have exaggerated my situation. A crowd has gathered outside the embassy gates, but I’m completely safe behind my bulletproof glass.”
“Your embassy security isn’t able to engage offensively to protect you, but my agents can. I’ll send Angel’s team. That’s forty agents, but I can easily send more.”
“Hold on a minute, Vince. I don’t want to escalate things. Except for a little unfocused gunfire, we haven’t been threatened.”
“Yet.”
“Yet,” she conceded. “If we increase security with trigger-happy—”
“I take offense to that, Madam Ambassador. My agents are well-trained, and they know how to hold their fire until the response is needed.”
She struggled to keep her frustration out of her voice. “I’m sorry, Vince. I’m afraid more troops on display will heighten the resistance. I think it’ll all blow over on its own.”
“When did it start?”
“Just over a week ago. Groups started to appear randomly and within a few days they were staying through the night.” She sighed. “Yesterday they began backing up their chanting with occasional bursts of gunfire into the air.”
“Did you pull your staff in?”
“Yes, everyone has been advised to remain inside the embassy gates.”
“Angel’s my best negotiator. Maybe that’s what you’re missing.”
“I’m listening,” she said hesitantly.
“How about if I send ten, but keep another ten waiting in-country in case they’re needed.”
“I can live with that.”
“That’s all I want to accomplish, Madam Ambassador.”
She chuckled. “You always were such a charmer.”
“Too bad my efforts were wasted on you.”
She could hear the smile in his voice as he said goodbye, promising to call her when Angel’s itinerary had been planned. This wasn’t the first time Vince had stepped in to rescue her from a difficult situation in Mauritania. That had happened several decades earlier when she had accompanied Ameera, the prettiest girl in school, to the local street market for pizza. She would never forget the look of surprise on his face when he had run into them in the Marche Capitale. Although she had been there many times with her father, she wasn’t supposed to traverse the streets of Nouakchott by herself, let alone use public transportation to do so.
She and Ameera had been helping each other grasp their native languages. Ameera’s father, a local hire at the embassy, had been encouraged to allow her to attend the American International School of Nouakchott, which was located on embassy grounds. English was the language of instruction, but students were expected to know French and the local dialect, Hassaniya Arabic, as well.
The school closed before noon on Fridays so the Mauritanian boys could attend prayer at the local mosque with their fathers. Ameera had been told to return straight home after their tutoring session, but instead she suggested they go for pizza in the market. Few restaurants were open on Friday afternoons, but Ameera knew of one near her house.
Taking public transportation was a normal way of life for Ameera, and neither teenager realized it might not be safe for Ellie. Her pale skin stood out like a lighthouse beacon on a clear night and drew many curious and potentially threatening stares. Despite Ameera’s attempts to put everyone at ease, the harsh comments were hurtful and frightening to Ellie. She had been scared and very relieved to see Vince, even if it meant she was in trouble.
Ellie pulled off her headset and stepped to the door of her office, abstractedly wondering what had happened to Ameera. She should try to find out but not today.
“Chloe.”
Chloe Allen sat with her back to the wall and with a direct visual on the doors that led into and joined their offices. Opposite her desk was a sofa that was more for décor than comfort. The last night or so, though, she had seen some of Chloe’s embassy friends lounging on it while they waited for Chloe to finish her work for the evening. It wasn’t a normal occurrence and she understood being restricted to the embassy had changed everyone’s way of life.
Chloe’s blond hair was pulled away from her face with several decorative barrettes; her fingernails, though not long, were painted a vibrant blue to match her outfit. Ellie estimated that she wasn’t more than an inch or so taller than her own five foot eight, but Chloe always wore heels which put her closer to six feet.
Chloe’s neck was bent as she concentrated on the computer monitor on her desk. She was barely twenty-five and had a rosy morning-fresh complexion no matter the time of day. These factors combined to make Ellie feel much older than she really was whenever she was around her. Their conversations were superficial and they were still getting to know each other, but she had managed to get Chloe to talk long enough to know that her mom was a marine. Chloe had moved from base to base her entire life, some overseas and some in the States.
“Chloe,” she said again, raising her voice only enough to gain the young woman’s attention.
Chloe jumped to her feet. “Yes, ma’am.”
Ellie motioned her back into the chair. She still wasn’t accustomed to the way her staff responded to her. She had repeatedly asked her staff to call her Ellie, but they were still as formal as the day she had arrived at the embassy six months ago.
“Please call Sergeant Miller and ask him to come see me when he gets a chance. No rush. Whenever he’s free is fine.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll call him right now.”
She returned to her office as Chloe picked up her phone. Though most meeting rooms in the embassy contained pillows for seating to make their local guests feel more comfortable, she was pleased that her office here on the second floor had been outfitted with couches for her comfort.
She sank into her chair and spun to look out at the crowd beneath her window. Not for the first time, she wished she could pick up the phone and call her father. His knowledge of embassies and the challenges she faced would certainly be we
lcome. She felt the niggling thought that she had reacted to his death the same way he had reacted to her mother’s passing—by running away to a country where she could re-create their happiest of memories. She pushed the thoughts aside. Now wasn’t the time for her delve into the past or second-guess her decisions.
She would need to brief her staff on the changes that were coming. They probably wouldn’t be surprised that she was increasing security. When the picketing had started, she had requested that all embassy employees consider relocating their families to inside the embassy rather than returning to their homes throughout the city. At the time, she thought it was a temporary precaution, but the sporadic gunfire had ended up transforming her request into an order.
The marines and the diplomatic security agents that protected them did an outstanding job, so she wasn’t looking forward to her conversation with Sergeant Miller. She respected him and the job he did and didn’t imagine he would be very happy with a private security agency sending in reinforcements.
Sergeant Shane Miller was on his second three-year tour as a member of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group. As the highest-ranking marine on embassy staff, he handled all security-related communications with her. He was always formal during his contacts with her and she felt like she needed to always maintain a professional demeanor with him as well. She longed for someone she could discuss ideas with. Maybe the Flagler agent would be someone she could use as a sounding board. Maybe she could bring him into her inner fold and she wouldn’t always have to be the ambassador.
* * *
The wind whipped through Angel McTaggart’s hair as she stared through her binoculars. She didn’t need her sniper rifle for today’s simulation. Her voice was the only weapon she required.
“You’re dead, Johnson,” she said softly. The microphone running along her cheek relayed her message to both sides of the mock battlefield.
