“So I get carded now and then.” Like always if she went makeup-free off duty and pulled her hair back into her usual ponytail. “So what?”
He looked at her in silence.
As seconds ticked by, sweat beaded on her upper lip. The moisture in her mouth evaporated. A wave of nausea rolled through her.
Huh.
Who knew that being backed into a corner would have the same effect on her as being trapped in a small space?
Not the best time for her latent claustrophobia to rear its head.
Chest tight, she rose and began to pace. “Maybe the school has nothing to do with this. Stephanie and Alex could have run into trouble away from the campus.”
“That’s possible—and we’ll continue to work that angle with a conventional investigation. But given the high-level interest in this case, we want to cover all the bases—and you know firsthand how much more you can learn from the inside.”
Yeah. She did.
If she hadn’t befriended the key people in the trafficking case, convinced them she was on their side, the ring would still be operating.
Instead, thanks to the evidence she’d been able to amass, the operation had been shuttered and the leaders rounded up and charged.
“Look at it this way, Cate.” Sarge leaned forward, using his most persuasive tone. “If Stephanie told another student where she and her boyfriend planned to go for the weekend—and you can get that girl to confide in you—we can realign our resources. As soon as we have a trail that leads off campus, we’ll cut you loose. That could be as fast as a week or two.”
She narrowed her eyes. “The trafficking job wasn’t supposed to last long either.”
“It didn’t—not for an investigation like that.”
That might be true . . . but it had felt like forever.
Another reason to write off undercover work.
Hardened as she’d become to violence and gore and man’s inhumanity to man during her decade in law enforcement, it was a whole different ball game to live that seaminess every day from the inside.
But the lieutenant and Sarge had presented a compelling case.
She was the best candidate in the department to pass for a seventeen-year-old.
And if foul play was involved in the girl’s disappearance, as the new evidence suggested, they should use every tool at their disposal to track down the truth whether there was political pressure being brought to bear or not.
She let out a long, slow breath. “You’re not giving me much choice here.”
“Yes, I am. We won’t force you to take an undercover assignment. If this isn’t a role you think you can pull off, we’ll try to come up with an alternative plan. For the record, we did check to see if the school has any open staff or faculty positions. It doesn’t. But even if it did, the ideal is to place someone who can talk to the girls—especially Stephanie’s roommate—as a peer. A student is the best candidate for that.”
His rationale was difficult to refute.
She was stuck.
Author’s Note
Thank you so much for visiting Hope Harbor—where hearts heal . . . and love blooms.
Back in 2015, when I launched this series, I hoped readers would love my charming Oregon seaside town as much as I did. Seven books in, that’s proven to be the case—and I’m beyond thrilled. Thank you all for helping me give life to this special place.
As you’ve already discovered, for the first time we’ve included a map of Hope Harbor with this book. I’ve had one for myself since book 1, but my editor agreed it was time we shared it with all of you. So a graphic artist prettied up my rough sketch and made Hope Harbor even more real for all of us. I hope you enjoy seeing this wonderful little town literally put on the map!
Because a long writing career doesn’t happen without the support of numerous people, I’d like to take a moment to thank a few of them.
In my personal corner are my husband, Tom, whose support has been unfailing since the day we met, and my parents, James and Dorothy Hannon. My mom cheers me on from heaven now, but my dad is still rooting for me here in the earthly realm.
I also want to thank my incredible publishing partners at Revell—Dwight Baker, Kristin Kornoelje, Jennifer Leep, Michele Misiak, Karen Steele, and all the other staff members who bring my books to readers. I feel blessed to work with every one of you.
Looking ahead, in October, watch for Labyrinth of Lies, book 2 in my Triple Threat series. And next April, I’ll take you back to Hope Harbor for another uplifting story set on the beautiful Oregon coast.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed Blackberry Beach!
Irene Hannon is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than sixty contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. She is also a three-time winner of the RITA award—the “Oscar” of romance fiction—from Romance Writers of America and is a member of that organization’s elite Hall of Fame.
Her many other awards include National Readers’ Choice, Daphne du Maurier, Retailers’ Choice, Booksellers’ Best, Carol, and Reviewers’ Choice from RT Book Reviews magazine, which also honored her with a Career Achievement award for her entire body of work. In addition, she is a two-time Christy award finalist.
Millions of her books have been sold worldwide, and her novels have been translated into multiple languages.
Irene, who holds a BA in psychology and an MA in journalism, juggled two careers for many years until she gave up her executive corporate communications position with a Fortune 500 company to write full-time. She is happy to say she has no regrets.
A trained vocalist, Irene has sung the leading role in numerous community musical theater productions and is also a soloist at her church. She and her husband enjoy traveling, long hikes, Saturday mornings at their favorite coffee shop, and spending time with family. They make their home in Missouri.
To learn more about Irene and her books, visit www.irenehannon.com. She posts on Twitter and Instagram, but is most active on Facebook, where she loves to chat with readers.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Endorsements
Books by Irene Hannon
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
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Epilogue
A Preview from Book 2
Author’s Note
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
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