Dedication
This book is dedicated to my readers. You are the best!
Prologue
London, England
He had been following her for days. She was young, beautiful, and deliciously unaware of anything outside her field of vision or interest. Without a doubt, she had no clue that her life was about to make a hairpin turn and dead-end abruptly.
It angered him that she was so careless and ill-informed. Did she not watch television news or read newspapers? How could she not know that the most horrific killer of the 21st century had invaded London? A modern day Jack the Ripper had paralyzed the city, bringing terror to every heart. Why didn’t she know about him? How obtuse could she be?
Ordinarily he liked his ladies worldly and intelligent. Smart women provided that extra spark of excitement. A combination of skills, intellect, and beauty was a must. This one would provide barely any challenge whatsoever. And though beautiful, her physical attributes didn’t fit his needs. Normally he wouldn’t even consider her. So why this woman? He didn’t yet know. Perhaps it was her complete disregard of his existence. It was as if she were deliberately snubbing him. He didn’t take kindly to such ill manners. He was no one to be trifled with or taken for granted. She would pay for the insult.
Her routine rarely varied. She left her home at seven in the morning, stopped on the way for a coffee and pastry at Louie’s Drive-thru and arrived at work at seven-thirty. The office she worked in was on the third floor. The light would come on at exactly seven thirty-three and he wouldn’t see her again until noon. That was when she came out of the office and dashed across the street for her take-out deli. Five minutes later, she’d run back to her office and there she would stay until she left at six.
When she arrived home, which was only five blocks from her office, she would be there until morning. She had no visitors and received very little mail. At ten o’clock, she would turn off the mind-numbing television show she had been watching or put aside the book she had been reading, visit the bathroom one last time, and then be in bed by ten-fifteen at the latest.
She worked too many hours, ate unhealthy food, didn’t get enough exercise, and spent too much time alone. Without a doubt, she needed a caretaker, someone who would work with her, shape and mold her, revealing her true potential.
When her time came to leave him, he would make sure he gave her a proper send-off. As she breathed her last breath, she would look up into his eyes and see his immense regard for her. In her last moments, she would know and acknowledge his greatness and be grateful he had chosen her.
Chapter One
Last Chance Rescue headquarters
Paris, France
Angela Delvecchio sat at her desk and watched the world go by. As the pseudo-receptionist for the Last Chance Rescue organization, she figured she’d seen the entire world pass by her at least twice.
Years ago, she had come to LCR out of necessity. Her family had needed money. At seventeen, with almost no experience, her prospects had been few. The fact that Noah McCall had taken a chance on her still amazed her. She would always be grateful to him.
Some might call her efforts noble but she couldn’t imagine making a different decision. Her family had needed her. Yes, there had been sacrifices. Instead of being able to go to university like many of her friends, she had taken night classes to obtain her degree. When all of her friends were partying and dating, she had been working or studying. She had no regrets. Helping her family hadn’t come from nobility but from genuine love.
Last Chance Rescue had been her salvation back then and she couldn’t imagine working anywhere else. The organization’s philosophy of rescuing the innocent, no matter the cost, struck a deep chord within her. Only days after starting her job, she had realized her true calling. She wanted to be a field operative. The opportunity to be involved in a mission, physically assist with a rescue, called to her unlike anything else. She had known within the depths of her soul that being an LCR operative was what she was meant to be. Of course, that hadn’t been possible. Putting herself at risk would have been selfish and foolhardy. Her recently disabled father had been in poor health; her mother’s stroke the year before had made her health almost as precarious. Angela had to stay safe and healthy to care for her family.
But those years of doing the right thing were over and now meaningless. The family she had once held dear and protected ferociously was gone forever. A freak one-car accident on Rue de la Seine had taken them from her. In one fell swoop, she had lost her mother, father, sister, and brother.
Noah had told her more than once that Fate had a way of kicking you in the gut when you least expected it. How true those words were.
Over the years, her mother’s health had improved, so much so that she had been able to take a part-time job at their church. Her father had found a teaching position that hadn’t been too demanding. Max had been in his first year of university and Chloe was all set to graduate high school next year. And Angela had been breathing a little easier, seeing her loved ones thriving and happy once more. Life, at last, had been on the upswing for the entire Delvecchio family. Then that cruel bitch called Fate had swooped in and ripped Angela’s heart right from her chest.
That had been six months ago and now she could feel herself coming back to life, released from the smothering sadness that had threatened to consume her. A few days ago, she’d woken with the knowledge that though she would give anything to have her family back, that wasn’t possible. However, something else was possible. Something she had wanted for years. She could now pursue her dream of being a field operative.
Noah was more than aware of her dream. She had no secrets from him. From the moment she met the LCR leader, she’d felt a kinship to him as if they’d been related in another life. He had understood her desire to be an operative, as well as the reasons she couldn’t pursue her dream. So he’d given her the next best thing—the full training of an operative along with the promise that if the opportunity ever presented itself, she would become one.
The image of a tall, dark-haired man came to her mind—a reminder that fulfilling her dream of being an operative wasn’t the only thing that had brought her back to life. The moment she met Jake Mallory, her world had changed for the better. It seemed as though she’d been waiting for him all of her life.
When Jake arrived at LCR for his first day of training, Angela had been more than eager to meet him. Having done most of the research on his background, she already knew his strength of character, his heroism, and his pain. The moment she'd looked into his eyes she had seen an LCR operative.
Tall, even to her height of five-foot-ten, Jake was six-feet-five inches of gorgeous masculinity and hardness. His vivid blue eyes, chiseled jaw and swarthy complexion could make any woman drool. And he had the kind of world-weary toughness that said he’d been there, done that and hadn’t been impressed. Yet, despite all he had been through, he had a gentleness about him. He also had a wickedly dry sense of humor that could make her laugh unexpectedly and a sexy, too-rare smile that made her toes curl. Jake Mallory epitomized every trait she desired in a mate.
Too bad Jake didn’t feel the same way about her.
A sigh of hopeless longing exploded from her. What was the point in wishing for something that would never materialize?
Movement outside the window caught her attention. A middle-aged couple had slowed to a near stop in front of the building and was peering inside. With effortless ease, Angela went into her receptionist role. Propping her longs legs upon her desk to show off an almost indecent amount of smooth, creamy skin, Angela blew a giant bubble from her wad of gum and winked suggestively at the man. Startled expressions were followed by the couple picking up their pace and scurrying away. Mission accomplished.
She swallowed a small laugh. Some parts of this job never got old. Between her sparkly, skimpy attire, multiple tats and piercings, and ever-present mouthful of bubblegum, she had deterred more unwelcomed visitors than many border patrol stations.
Her eyes turned to the computer screen in front of her but her mind once again wandered to Jake. What would he think when he learned about her aspirations? Would that make a difference in how he looked at her?
Though she’d seen some measure of attraction in his eyes, he had never tried to take their relationship further than a back and forth light flirtation when he came into the office for an assignment. Angela, on the other hand, had done everything but proposition him to make sure he knew she was interested. Her efforts had produced zero results. It was enough to give a girl a complex.
She jerked herself out of her unhelpful introspection. She was who she was and made no apologies. As much as she wanted a relationship with Jake, he had no influence on her career choice. She was proud of the work she had accomplished for LCR. With her skills and abilities as a researcher, she knew she had saved lives. Still, she wanted more. She had the training and the opportunity…now she just needed the mission.
When she told Noah that she was ready to be a field operative, he hadn’t seemed surprised. He had to have known it was coming. Being true to her nature, she hadn’t waited for him to give her an assignment…she already knew which one she wanted and had presented her choice to Noah. To say he was shocked would be the world’s biggest understatement. But the question remained: Would he agree?