Third generation Marine Dylan McCall has only one goal in mind: revenge. Armed with a new, scientific enhancement, he won’t rest until he destroys Cyrus Matheson’s plans.
Geneticist Teague Hamilton wants nothing more than a healthy baby of her own. Raised in a girls’ home, she knows Cyrus’s genetic engineering technology is her only chance at gaining the family she wants.
Dylan can’t get enough of D.I.R.E.’s confident, sexy-as-hell geneticist, even though his gut tells him she’s hiding something. He won’t rest until he tames her and brings her deception to light.
When Cyrus draws Teague out of D.I.R.E.’s protective custody and takes her to the past, she uncovers lies that prove she’s never controlled her own destiny, while Dylan travels back in time to save her before its too late.
Can Dylan rescue Teague in time,
or will he lose the woman he loves forever?
An excerpt from
Agent N6: Dylan
Teague Hamilton lowered her hand as the Samoan driver edged the boat close to shore. Yellow tape stamped with the words “Do Not Cross” stretched from a retaining wall, across a bent wrought-iron gate, to a brick wall on the opposite side. A dark-haired man wearing sunglasses and shorts signaled the driver to turn around and leave.
She held two fingers to her Bluetooth. “They’re telling us to turn around, Amy.”
“See, it’s a sign, T. Just forget about that job offer and come back to the lab.”
Her former co-worker and best friend Amy Garland had worked at Dr. Capri’s lab almost as long as Teague, and never waivered from her routine.
“So I can stare at test tubes all day and make up stories about the patients behind them?” Teague stifled the urge to sigh. “I’m done with that.”
Sniffing, Amy adopted a brittle tone. “I thought we had fun.”
They did – until now. Learning she had multiple sclerosis had changed Teague’s perspective on life.
“I have to go, Amy. I’ll call you later.” She disconnected and said to the driver, “Stay. I need to find out what happened.”
He gave her a brief nod. “As you wish.”
Cutting the engine, he scanned the beach. Small waves lapped against the boat hull as it settled to a stop parallel to shore. Lifting the hem of her ivory pencil skirt, Teague took the driver’s hand and stretched a leg over the side. She tugged down her coral, button-up blouse and marched toward the man, her heels sinking into the soft sand.
He held out his hands to block her. “I’m sorry, ma’am. You’re not allowed on the island.”
She did not come all this way to be turned around. Her future depended on this job.
Digging inside the large tote on her shoulder, she pulled out the employment contract signed by Cyrus Matheson, Esquire. She handed it to him.
“This contract says not only am I allowed on the island, I live here.”
The decision to leave Sacramento and live off the coast of Hawaii was a no-brainer. Add the opportunity to work with fully funded, genetic-enhancement research and she’d had her bags packed before the ink dried on the contract.
“One moment.” Tapping a finger to his ear, the man turned and spoke in a low voice.
The eight men lining the beach at regular intervals held themselves at military ease, their eyes scanning the open water and partly cloudy skies. Two standing near the boat studied her with keen interest.
A whir of helicopters sounded in the distance. In unison, they looked up at the sky. The man that greeted them glanced over his shoulder.
His low voice carried in rushed tones. “We have incoming. Two bogies, ten o’clock.”
Bogies?!
Her heart pounded against her ribs in wild beats. Excitement and danger were things she only read about in books or saw in the movies. They did not happen to dull, laboratory hermits.
Two, dark helicopters approached. The hum of their rotors grew louder by the second, disrupting the early morning quiet.
The man clutched her arm from behind. “Come with me.” His urgent tone betrayed his calm demeanor.
Pulling her toward the gates, he rushed up the incline.
“What about my suitcases?” She glanced back at the boat.
A sharp ping pounded against the boat’s hull, then another. Her driver jolted, then fell overboard into the shallow water. A bullet hole pierced the side of his bald head.
“Oh, my god…”
“Run,” the man said in a raised voice, as he dragged her toward the entrance. “Stay low.”
Losing her shoes, she crouched low and ran up the beach. Helicopter blades droned in the overhead sky, rousing the sand into tornado-like fury. Gunfire peppered the beach behind them, groans and return fire piercing the air like a violent hailstorm.
Her escort arched his back, before dropping to the sand.
Oh, my god. Oh, my god…
She ran for a hole in the fence bars, near the retaining wall. Her lungs heaved for breath, her legs shaking.
God help me. What’s going on? She’d wanted to escape the lab, but this was more than she’d bargained for…
A blond man dropped from the sky in front of her, gun pointed at her chest. She stopped short, her heart continuing on in staccato beats. His handsome face held no evil or warmth, just matter-of-fact business.
Her body shook with mild tremors.
“Dr. Hamilton, come with me.” He held out a hand.
“I don’t think so…”
Two shots rang out. A red-haired man hurried past, the smell of suntan lotion splashing over her. The blond dropped to the sand, blood at his temple.
“Stay here, against the wall.” His face a blur, the man shoved her through the hole in the gate.
Ducking between the retaining wall and the fence, Teague peeked through the bars. The man wore nothing more than athletic shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt, yet he charged into the gunfire as if he wore a suit of armor.
He fired to his left, hitting a man between the eyes. Whipping to his right, he grabbed the barrel of an assailant’s gun and dismantled it in one, quick sweep, the pieces falling to the sand. He slammed the butt of his gun against another’s temple. Dropping to the ground, the man shook his head as if to clear it. The redhead launched two rounds against his forehead.
Okay Teague, you have to get out of here.
Author Bio
Joni Hahn
By day, Joni Hahn keeps her secret decoder ring hidden while she works as a mild-mannered contemporary romance author. She believes the world can never have too many superheroes, and anxiously waits for the call when one will need help saving the world... or getting into his costume. Joni was born with a hopelessly tender heart and believes there is nothing on earth more exhilarating than falling in love. A native Texan, she thinks cowboys are the epitome of masculinity, and that country music is the other soul music.
Joni is a member of the Romance Writers of America and its Published Authors Network. She is a member of several RWA sub-chapters and has served in several board positions with the San Antonio Romance Authors. When she isn't writing, she enjoys reading, going to movies and concerts and spending time with family and friends.
Books 1 through 6 in Joni's sci fi romantic suspense series, The D.I.R.E. Agency, are available now.
