72 Hours

by Dana Marton

• ISBN13: 9780373693221
• ISBN10: 0373693222
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-04-08
• Publisher: Harlequin

Summary

After being taken hostage, Kate Hamilton had faced her share of pain and confusion. But it was nothing compared to learning undercover agent Parker McCall had come to her rescue. This secretive man with whom she'd once spent long days and hot nights was plotting their escape and telling her to trust him if she wanted to get out alive. His skills when it came to securing her safety were impressive...and incredibly sexy to watch. The closer they got to freedom, the more dangerous the situation became. Which only seemed to heighten the attraction from which there would never be any escape...

Excerpts

August 9, 21:11A good spy had many tools at his disposal. One of them was the instinctual knowledge of when to run. Parker McCall was running for his life, toward the Tuileries on Rue de Rivoli that stretched parallel to the River Seine.When he'd been on jungle missions, running for the river was a good idea most of the time, and often the only way out. But right now he was on a street dense with tourists. Jumping into the Seine would do nothing but draw attention to himself and bring the authorities.He hated Paris. It was the city that had taken Kate away from him."Excusez-moi." He slipped between two businessmen deep in discussion, blocking the sidewalk.The chase scenes they showed in action movies, where seasoned professionals madly scrambled from their pursuers, knocking over vendor stands and causing all kinds of commotion, were nonsense. When you were hunted, you went to ground. You went quietly, did everything you could to blend in and become invisible, part of the usual tapestry of local life. You ran in such a way that nobody looking at you could tell you were running.He glanced at his watch again, deepened the annoyed scowl on his face and smoothed down his tie as he moved briskly through the crowd. He was a businessman late for a dinner. And the throng of people who'd seen hundreds of late businessmen rushing through identified him as such and parted in front of him, paying him scant attention. He was swimming through people and he had to be careful not to cause any ripples. Ripples would be noticed.And his enemies were watching.He figured at least four men were after him. He had caught glimpses, but mostly he operated by instinct.They, too, were professionals. Professional killers who moved through the city the way the lions of Africa moved forward in the cover of the tall grass, in a well-coordinated hunt, invisible until they were but a jump away from their prey."Excusez-moi." He stepped around a twin stroller and glanced up at the large M sign a few yards ahead--Le Meacute;tro, Paris's famed subway system. He could try to disappear there or go for the Tuileries and see if he could deal with the men in the garden.The subway would be packed. This was one of the busiest stations, the one closest to the Museacute;e du Louvre. He could get away without confrontation.But he wanted more. Information was the name of the game. And right now, the information he needed was the identity of the man who had sicced his henchmen on Parker. He had too many enemies to take a blind guess.Like New York, Paris never slept. Especially not on hot summer evenings. Tourists and locals filled the streets.He moved forward and could see the garden at last. He crossed the Avenue du Geacute;neacute;ral Lemonnier and hurried to the nearest entrance. The sixty-three acres of mostly open landscaping that lay before him was enough to make anyone stop in wonder, but he didn't have the time to enjoy the sight. He planned and calculated.The lions that hunted him were hidden in the tall grass. At least he didn't have to worry about the approaching darkness and not being able to see. They didn't call Paris the city of light--in addition to love--for nothing. It was lit up like Methuselah's birthday cake.Head for higher ground. Get a good vantage point. But there weren't many of those in the garden, so he strode toward the Ferris wheel.Too late.A blur of movement caught his attention by the pedestal of a large statue. They'd gotten in front of him. Or at least one of them had. But hunters as good as these four didn't reveal themselves by accident. Parker had a feeling that he'd been supposed to see that. They wanted him to run in the opposite direction. They were trying to herd him someplace out of sight where they could take him out.He strode to the statues instead, feinted in one direction and went around the other. He didn't take the time to look or e