"He's a shadow agent but his heart has always been hers."
Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko
Posted December 21, 2012
Romance Suspense | Romance Series
Juliana James finds herself in a mess while on vacation in
Mexico. She has been kidnapped and held with another
hostage named John Gonzales. They want answers to questions
about her father, Senator Aaron James, answers she doesn't
have. All she knows is that they've tortured John since
they arrived and she fears she will be next.
Logan Quinn, ALPHA ONE of the Elite Operations Division
(EOD) and his team is on the way to her rescue, having been
called by the senator. It's much more than a job, he has
been in love with Juliana James since she was seventeen,
and would have married her despite her father except he
felt she deserved much better than him. Masked and
incognito they manage to rescue Juliana but she insists
that there was another hostage. Logan, refusing to leave
anyone behind, is forced to go back into the now exploding
building to find Gonzales but there is no one else in the
building.
Juliana cannot believe that her rescuer was her Logan, no
not hers probably never really was hers or that her father
had sent him. After a 24 hour delay she arrives back in the
United States only to find her ordeal isn't over as
promised... her father has killed himself and the arms dealer
he sold out his country to still wants her and the evidence
the senator said he had on him. She turns to Logan, not
realizing that he and EOD have their own plan. They want to
use her as bait to get Diego Guerrero ... if they can keep
her alive long enough to do so.
Will it be possible for Logan to keep his mind on the
mission and off of the way he still feels about his Julie?
Should he tell her the truth on why he walked away the
first time and if he does can he live with her hatred. Is
it possible to hate a man who still held your heart ten
years after he disappeared on you?
ALPHA ONE is amazing! There is plenty of action, a lot of
secrets, some sizzling moments for the two lost lovers and
a number of devious little twists that will lead you astray
until the explosive end. Ms. Eden tells a great story with
main and secondary characters that are bigger than life yet
with emotional depth that is believable. I absolutely loved
ALPHA ONE and can't wait to read more.
SUMMARY
"JULIE'S MISSING. YOU HAVE TO GET HER BACK." The minute he got the message, undercover agent Logan Quinn
sprang into action. Getting Juliana James out of Mexico
alive was the Elite Ops covert agent's only priority. But
once the senator's daughter was safely back in their
Mississippi hometown, Logan had a new mission: to get
another chance with the woman he couldn't lose again. Juliana had never forgotten the day, ten years ago, when
Logan left her heart in pieces. Now he was back in her
life, sworn to protect her from the ruthless weapons dealer
who wanted her dead. As passion blindsided her--and she was
once again thrust into danger--Julie realized how much
she'd risk for one more day in Logan's arms.
Excerpt"You don't deserve to die here."Juliana James looked up at the sound of the quiet voice. She
couldn't move her body much because she was still tied
hand and foot to the chair in the dimly lit room. Tied with
rough ropes that bit into her skin. Though she'd
struggled for hours, she hadn't been able to break free.
She'd done nothing but slice open her flesh on the ropes. "If you tell them…what they want to know…"
He sighed. "They might let you go." Juliana swallowed and felt as if she were choking back
shards of glass. How long had it been since they'd given
her anything to drink? After swallowing a few more times,
she managed, "I don't know anything." She was
just trapped in a nightmare. One day, she'd been soaking
up the sun on a Mexican beach, and the next— Hello, hell. It was a nightmare all right, and she desperately wanted to
wake up from it. Ready to wake up—now. John Gonzales, the man who'd been held captive with her
for—what was it now? Three? Four days?—was slumped
in his chair. She'd never met John until they were
thrown together in this hell. They'd both been kidnapped
from separate areas in Mexico. The men who'd abducted
them kept coming and getting John, taking him. Hurting him. And she knew her time was coming. "I'm not…perfect," John's ragged voice
whispered to her. "But you…you didn't do
anything wrong… It was all your father." Her father. The not-so-honorable Senator Aaron James. She
might not know who had taken her, but once her abductors had
started asking their questions, Juliana had figured out fast
that the abduction was payback for something the senator had
done. Daddy hadn't raised a fool. Just, apparently, someone to
die in his place. Would he even care when he learned about what had happened
to her? Or would he just hold a press conference and
look appropriately saddened and grievous in front
of all the cameras? She didn't know, and that fact made
her stomach knot even more. Juliana exhaled slowly. "Perfect or not…" She
didn't know the things that John had done. Right then,
they didn't matter. He'd talked to her when
she'd been trapped in the dark. He'd kept her sane
during all of those long, terrible hours. "We're
both going to make it out of here." His rough laughter called her words a lie. She'd only seen his face a few times, when the light was
bright enough in the early mornings. Appearing a bit younger
than her own thirty years, John had the dark good looks that
had probably gotten him plenty of female attention since he
was a teen. Not now, though. "Do you have any…regrets?" John asked her. She
saw his head tilt toward her as he waited for her response. Juliana blinked against the tears that wanted to fill her
eyes. Regrets? "A few." One. A pause. Then "You ever been in love, Juliana?" "Once—" and in the dark, with only death
waiting for her, she could admit this painful truth
"—but Logan didn't love me back." Pity,
because she'd never been able to— The hinges on the door groaned as it opened. Juliana tensed,
her whole body going tight with fear. John was already
swearing, jerking against his binds, but. But the men weren't coming for him this time. They were coming for her. Juliana screamed. Logan Quinn felt a trickle of sweat slide down his back. He
didn't move, not so much as a muscle twitch. He'd
been in position for the past forty-three minutes, waiting
for the go-ahead to move. To storm that building and get Julie out of there. Hold on, baby. Not that she was his baby. Not anymore. But the minute
Senator James had contacted him, asking for his help and the
help of his team, Logan had known that trouble, serious
trouble, had come to hunt him down. Julie's missing. You have to get her back. That was all it had taken. Two sentences, and Logan had set
his team up for a recovery mission in Mexico. His unit, part
of the Elite Operations Division, didn't take on just
any case. But for her, he'd do anything. "There's movement." The words whispered into his
ear via the comm link that all members of his recovery team
used. Logan barely breathed. "I have a visual on the target." His heart raced faster. This was what they'd been
waiting for. Movement and, hopefully…visual
confirmation. They wouldn't storm the place, not until— "I see her. The girl's being led down a hallway.
There's a knife at her throat." Visual confirmation. Logan held his position even as fury pulsed within him.
Juliana would be scared. Terrified. This was so far from the
debutante balls in Mississippi that she knew. So far from
the safe life she'd always wanted to lead. He'd get her back to that life, then he'd walk away.
Just as he had before. "South side," that same voice whispered in his ear.
Male. Gunner Ortez, the SEAL sniper Uncle Sam had recruited
for their black-ops division. A division most said
didn't exist. They were wrong. "Second door," Gunner said, voice flat and hard as
he marked the target location. Finally, Logan moved. A shadow in the night, he didn't
make a single sound as he slipped into the building. To his
right, Jasper Adams moved in perfect sync with him. The
Ranger knew how to keep quiet just like Logan did. After all
their training, stealth was second nature to them now. Logan came up on the first guard, caught the scent of
cigarettes and alcohol. One quick jab, and the guard's
body slumped back against him. He pulled the guy into the
shadows, dropped him in the corner and signaled for Jasper
to keep moving. Then he heard her scream. The blood in Logan's body iced over. For a second, his
vision seemed to go dark. Pain, fear—he could hear them
both in Juliana's scream. He rushed forward, edging fast
on Jasper's heels. Jasper knocked out the next guard,
barely pausing. Logan didn't pause at all. He drew out his gun
and—"Please, I don't know!" It was
Juliana's desperate voice. The voice he still heard in
his dreams. Not soft with the South now, but high with terror. They passed the first door. The second was just steps away.
Hold on, hold on… "Company!" Gunner's terse warning blasted in his
comm link. They barely had time to duck for cover before the
rat-a-tat of gunfire smashed into the wall above them. Made. Logan fired back, once, twice, aiming with
near-instant precision. He heard a choked cry, then the thud
of bodies as two men hit the ground. Jasper covered him,
moving quickly, as Logan kicked open lucky door number two.
With that gunfire, the men inside would either flee… Or try to kill their prey. Option number two damn well wasn't going down on his watch. But as Logan burst into the room, three men turned toward
him. He fired at the guy on the left as the man drew his
gun. The guy's body hit the floor. Then Logan drove his
fist into the face of the attacker on the right. But the one
in the middle…the one with his knife pressed against
Juliana's throat. Logan didn't touch him. Not yet. "Deje a la mujer ir," Logan barked in
perfect Spanish. Let the woman go. Instead, the soon-to-be-dead fool cut her skin. Logan's
eyes narrowed. Wrong move. "Vuelva o ella es muerta," the guy snarled
back at him. Step back or she's dead. Logan didn't step back. He'd never been the type to
retreat. His gaze darted to Juliana. She stared at him, eyes
wide, body frozen. A black ski mask covered his head, so he
knew she had no idea who he was. But Logan knew she'd
always had a real fine grasp of the Spanish language. She
understood exactly what the man had said to him. "Step back." Her lips moved almost
soundlessly. "Please." Then she repeated her plea in
Spanish. Still, he didn't move. Beneath the ski mask, his jaw
locked. He kept his gun up and aimed right at her
attacker's head. One shot. "Vuelva o ella es muerta!" Now the guy
yelled his warning and that knife dug deeper into
Juliana's pale throat. Instead of backing up, Logan stepped forward. Juliana
screamed—and then she started fighting. Her nails
clawed at her captor's hand, and she drew blood of her
own. The guy swore and yanked back on her hair, but that
move lifted the knife off her throat. Lifted it off just
enough for Logan to attack. He caught the man's wrist, wrenched it back. Even as
Logan yanked Juliana forward, he drove the guy's
wrist—and the knife—right back at the
bastard's own throat. When the body hit the floor, Logan didn't glance down.
He pulled Juliana closer to him and tried to keep her
attention off the dead men on the floor. "It's all
right," he told her, attempting to sound soothing in the
middle of hell. More gunfire echoed outside the small room.
The sound was like the explosion of fireworks. The voice in
his ear told him that two more men had just been taken out
by Jasper. Good. The guy was clearing the way for their
escape. Logan's hands tightened on Juliana, and he said,
"I'm gonna—" She kneed him in the groin. Logan was so caught off guard by the move that he let her
go. She lunged away from him, yelling for all that she was
worth. "Damn it," he growled and hissed out a breath,
"I'm not here to hurt you!" She'd yanked the knife out of the dead man's throat. She came up with it clutched tightly in her white-knuckled
grip. "You stay away from me!" "Easy." They didn't have time for this. Logan
knew that if he yanked up his mask and revealed his
identity, she'd drop the weapon. But he had mission
protocol ruling him right then. Their team was to stay
covered during this rescue, until the target had been taken
to the designated safe zone. No team member could afford to
have his identity compromised at this site. Not until
everything was secure. "Back up and get out of my way," Juliana snapped
right back at him, showing the fire that had first drawn him
to her years ago. He hadn't obeyed the dead guy. Did she really think
he'd obey her? But then Jasper leaped into the room at the same instant
that Gunner barked on the comm link, "Extraction.
Now." Logan caught the whiff of smoke in the air. Smoke…and
the crackle of flames. Fire wasn't part of the
extraction plan. "Two hostiles got away," Jasper grunted, shifting
his shoulders, and Logan wondered if he'd been hit.
He'd seen the Ranger take three bullets before and keep
fighting. One hit wouldn't slow him down—Jasper
wouldn't let it slow him down. "And I think those
fleeing hombres want to make sure we don't get out alive
with her." No, they wouldn't want her escaping. Too bad for them.
Logan spun for the window. Using his weapon and his fist, he
broke the glass and shattered the old wooden frame. He
glanced down at the street below. Second story. He could
handle that drop in his sleep, but he'd have to take
care with Juliana. "Clear," Gunner said in his ear, and Logan knew the
guy was still tracking the team's movement. "Go now.
'cause that fire is coming hard for you." Juliana's captors had probably rigged the place for a
fast burn. The better to leave no evidence—or
witnesses—behind. Logan grabbed Juliana's hand. She yelped. He hated that
sound, hated that he'd had to hurt her, but now
wasn't the time for explanations. The knife clattered to the floor. Now was the time to get the hell out of there. He wrapped
his arm around her waist and pulled her close against his
body. "You'll need to hold tight," he told her,
voice low and growling. But Juliana shook her head at him. "I'm not going
out that window. I have to—" "You have to live," Jasper said from his post at the
door. "That fire's coming, ma'am, and you need
to get through that window now." She blinked. In the faint light, Logan saw the same dark
chocolate eyes he remembered. Her face still as pretty.
"Fire?" Then she sucked in a deep breath, and Logan
knew she'd finally caught the scent of smoke and flames.
"No!" She tried to rip out of his arms and
lunge for the door. Logan just hauled her right back against him. Now that he
had her safe in his arms, he wasn't about to let her get
away. "Area's clear," Gunner said in Logan's
earpiece. "Extract now." Logan tried to position Juliana for their drop. The woman
twisted against him, moving like a slithering snake as she
fought to wrench back and break free. "I'm not
leaving!" she snapped at him. "Not without John!" Who? "Extract." Gunner's order. " Stop fighting," Logan told her when she twisted
again. "We're the good guys, and we came to take you
to safety." She stilled for a moment. Heaving a deep breath, she said,
"Me…and John." Seriously, who the hell was John? "He's back there." Her hand lifted and one
trembling finger pointed to the doorway. The doorway that
was currently filling with smoke. "We have to get him
out." No other civilians were in the building. Only Diego
Guerrero's killers. Logan's team members were
pulling back and— "I'm not leaving without him!" An explosion rocked the building. Juliana fell against
Logan's chest. Jasper staggered. "Go time," Logan heard him say. And yeah, it was. Keeping a hold on Juliana, Logan tapped
his receiver. "Is there another civilian here?" He
had to be sure. He wouldn't leave an innocent to burn. He motioned for Jasper to take the leap out. He had Juliana;
there was no need for the other agent to stay any longer.
Jasper yanked out a cable from his pack and quickly set up
an escape line. In seconds, he began to lower his body to
the ground. "Negative," Gunner responded instantly. "Now
move before your butt gets fried." Gunner wouldn't make a mistake. He and Sydney Sloan had
the best intel there was. No way would they send the team in
without knowledge of another innocent in the perimeter. Juliana blinked up at him. "Y-your voice." Aw, damn. He'd lost most of his Southern accent over the
years, but every now and then, those Mississippi purrs would
slip into his voice. Now wasn't a good time for that slip. "You're goin' out the window…" Another
explosion shook the building. Her captors were packing some
serious firepower. Definitely don't want her getting
away alive. "Your choice—you goin' through
awake or asleep?" "There's a man trapped back there! He's tied
up—he'll burn to death." She wasn't listening to him. Fine. He grabbed her,
tossed her over his shoulder, held tight and dropped down on
the line that Jasper had secured for him. By the time she'd gotten any breath to scream, they were
on the ground. "Take her," Logan ordered, shoving Juliana into
Jasper's arms. "Get her out of here." She was
the mission. Her safety was their number one priority. But. He'll burn to death. Logan wasn't leaving a
man behind. He grabbed the cable and started hauling his
butt back up into the fire.
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