HUNTED by Marissa Garner
(December 8, 2015; Forever Yours E-Book; FBI Heat: Book 1)
For San Diego's
elite FBI agents, risking their lives is standard procedure when it
comes to capturing the city's most dangerous criminals-but falling in
love is the greatest risk
of all.
Catching bad guys in San Diego's underworld isn't just FBI Special Agent Ben Alfren's job, it's his life. He doesn't have time for a serious relationship, doesn't want one either. So when he meets his sexy new neighbor, Amber Jollett, he has nothing more in mind than unwinding with a glass of wine, a romantic walk on the beach...and maybe a hot fling.
But Amber is more than he bargained for. Her job as a nurse has brought her face-to-face with women caught in a human trafficking ring, women she's determined to help. As Ben and Amber plot to rescue the women, the attraction between them flares into passion. But they'll learn that in this dangerous game of cat and mouse, real love can save - or doom - them . . .
Catching bad guys in San Diego's underworld isn't just FBI Special Agent Ben Alfren's job, it's his life. He doesn't have time for a serious relationship, doesn't want one either. So when he meets his sexy new neighbor, Amber Jollett, he has nothing more in mind than unwinding with a glass of wine, a romantic walk on the beach...and maybe a hot fling.
But Amber is more than he bargained for. Her job as a nurse has brought her face-to-face with women caught in a human trafficking ring, women she's determined to help. As Ben and Amber plot to rescue the women, the attraction between them flares into passion. But they'll learn that in this dangerous game of cat and mouse, real love can save - or doom - them . . .
Buy the book!
HUNTED by Marissa Garner (December 8, 2015; Forever Yours E-Book; FBI Heat: Book 1)
For San Diego's
elite FBI agents, risking their lives is standard procedure when it
comes to capturing the city's most dangerous criminals-but falling in
love is the greatest risk
of all.
Catching bad guys in San Diego's underworld isn't just FBI Special Agent Ben Alfren's job, it's his life. He doesn't have time for a serious relationship, doesn't want one either. So when he meets his sexy new neighbor, Amber Jollett, he has nothing more in mind than unwinding with a glass of wine, a romantic walk on the beach...and maybe a hot fling.
But Amber is more than he bargained for. Her job as a nurse has brought her face-to-face with women caught in a human trafficking ring, women she's determined to help. As Ben and Amber plot to rescue the women, the attraction between them flares into passion. But they'll learn that in this dangerous game of cat and mouse, real love can save - or doom - them . . .
Catching bad guys in San Diego's underworld isn't just FBI Special Agent Ben Alfren's job, it's his life. He doesn't have time for a serious relationship, doesn't want one either. So when he meets his sexy new neighbor, Amber Jollett, he has nothing more in mind than unwinding with a glass of wine, a romantic walk on the beach...and maybe a hot fling.
But Amber is more than he bargained for. Her job as a nurse has brought her face-to-face with women caught in a human trafficking ring, women she's determined to help. As Ben and Amber plot to rescue the women, the attraction between them flares into passion. But they'll learn that in this dangerous game of cat and mouse, real love can save - or doom - them . . .
Buy the book!
Excerpt:
“What’s
wrong, babe?”
The
concern on his face emboldened her. “I’m not exactly sure. Well, one thing
really has me worried, and the other is just something sort of odd about the
surrogate mothers.”
He
picked up his fork again and took a bite. “Let’s work on the ‘worried’ one
first.”
She
drew a deep breath. “I met one of their reproductive endocrinologists.”
“English
translation, please.”
“A
doctor. In this case, a specialist in in vitro fertilization—IVF, for short.”
“Okay.
Continue.”
“He
was introduced as Dr. Ortega, but I met him about a year ago as Dr. Raul
Garcia.”
Ben
sipped his wine. “You’re sure it’s the same guy?”
“Positive.
He’s hard to forget because he’s drop-dead gorgeous.”
He
arched his eyebrows. “Should I be jealous?”
“No.
You’re drop-dead gorgeous-er.”
He
snorted. “Go on about Dr. Gorgeous.”
“I
met Raul… er… Dr. Garcia at a fertility conference in Houston. He was a
well-respected doctor at a local clinic and part of the conference-organizing
committee along with Laura Eldridge, my current boss.”
“So
Dr. Garcia’s a big shot.”
“Yeah.
He… uh…” She blinked and looked away. “I helped with some of the panels so we…
saw each other quite a bit.”
“When
did he hit on you?”
Her
gaze snapped back. She wanted to be irritated, but the flush warming her cheeks
was from embarrassment, not anger. “The first night.”
Ben’s
eyes narrowed. “Did something… bad happen?”
“No,
no, no.” She exhaled. “He was a nice enough guy, just annoyingly persistent.”
“Did
you report him for sexual harassment?”
“Oh
God, no. You’re getting the wrong idea. Why are you…?” Her mouth gaped. He was
genuinely jealous. Oh my God. Jealousy could be such a negative emotion, but
right now, it was really sexy. Focus, focus.
“What
happened?” he prompted.
“Nothing
happened. It’s just that we spent enough time together that I know absolutely,
positively, this Dr. Ortega is that Dr. Garcia.”
“Okay,
so stipulated. Go on.” Ben closed his eyes as he savored another bite of
spaghetti.
“It’s
what happened after the conference that has me freaking out. I read he was
arrested for writing illegal prescriptions.”
Ben’s
fork stopped halfway to his mouth. “Why isn’t he in jail?”
“After
I got home today, I made a quick call to a former colleague in Texas who also
attended the Houston conference. She said Dr. Garcia disappeared after he got
out on bail. He’s still a… fugitive.”
“You
got a picture of this guy?”
She
pulled the Dream Makers sheet about the doctors from her pants pocket and
handed it to Ben. He shook his head while he stared at the picture of Dr.
Ortega/Garcia.
“Holy
shit,” he muttered.
“What?
You know about him?”
“No.
But I know a helluva lot about someone he looks like. You’re sure this guy
really is a doctor?”
“Well,
I never looked up his license or diplomas, but wouldn’t someone have done that
in the investigation prior to his arrest?”
“Yeah.
Definitely.”
She
stood up and came around to stand behind him and look down at the photo. “Are
you going to tell me who he looks like, or is it a big, bad FBI secret?”
“I
need to square it with my boss first.” He craned his neck to peer up at her.
“Are you going back to that clinic again?”
She
placed her hands on his shoulders and massaged gently. “I thought you’d never
ask.” She smiled sweetly. “I need a favor.”
“Good.
So do I. You first.”
“Okay.
Will you be my husband?”
About the author:
I'm a wife,
writer, chocoholic, and animal lover, not necessarily in that order. As a
little girl, I cut pictures of people out of my mother's magazines and
turned them into characters
in my simple stories. Now I write sexy paranormal romantic suspense,
steamy contemporary romance, and edgy romantic thrillers. I live in
sunny Southern California with my husband, but enjoy traveling from
Athens to Anchorage to Acapulco and many locations
in between.
Connect with the author!
Great post!
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the launch.
PamT
Thanks, Pam. I'm giving it my best shot!
DeleteHunted sounds exciting and suspenseful while romance bubbles! Best of luck with your new novel.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. You've described it really well!
DeleteThanks so much, Diane, for having me here today. I'm so excited about starting this romantic thriller series with HUNTED. I also want to let everyone know that I’m running a giveaway for a $25 Amazon e-Gift Card on my website (www.marissagarner.com) and Facebook page (MarissaGarnerAuthor).
ReplyDeleteSo glad you came, Marissa. Wishing you much success.
DeleteI enjoyed the excerpt. Congrats, Marissa!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cherie!
DeleteWow! Great excerpt! Good luck to you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kara. This story was great fun to write.
DeleteSorry I missed this yesterday. Wow...intriguing excerpt. Love the image quotes too. Nice!
ReplyDeleteLove the excerpt. Very intriguing.
ReplyDelete