“Tell me the truth, Cassie, you’ve missed this.”
Her first impulse was to deny Kane’s words, to tell him that she had been perfectly satisfied with her life before the Agency tapped her for this particular assignment.
She’d thought she’d been happy arguing with her neighbor, tending her lawn, fighting with common criminals and making arrests. But she’d been fooling herself, and she knew she’d never be able to fool Kane.
“Yeah, I missed it,” she replied grudgingly. “But that doesn’t mean I’m coming back. I agreed to this one assignment, and that’s all.”
Kane reached out for her hand and twined his fingers with hers. “We were good together, Cassie. We stopped a lot of bad things from happening in the world.”
“But I couldn’t stop you from taking that bullet for me, could I?” she said. Hot tears burned her eyes, and she was appalled that this still had the power to hurt. “If I hadn’t been your lover, if we’d just been partners like we were supposed to be, then you wouldn’t have nearly died. Sorry, I can’t let you take that risk—ever again.”
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Silhouette Bombshell, the hottest new line to hit the bookshelves this summer. Who is the Silhouette Bombshell woman? She’s the bombshell of the new millennium; she’s savvy, sexy and strong. She’s just as comfortable in a cocktail dress as she is brandishing blue steel! Now she’s being featured in the four thrilling reads we’ll be bringing you each month.
What can you expect in a Silhouette Bombshell novel? A high-stakes situation in which the heroine saves the day. She’s the kind of woman who always gets her man—and we’re not just talking about the bad guy. Take a look at this month’s lineup.…
From USA TODAY bestselling author Lindsay McKenna, we have Daughter of Destiny, an action-packed adventure featuring a Native American military pilot on a quest to find the lost ark of her people. Her partner on this dangerous trek? The one man she never thought she’d see again, much less risk her life with!
This month also kicks off ATHENA FORCE, a brand-new twelve-book continuity series featuring friends bonded during their elite training and reunited when one of them is murdered. In Proof, by award-winning author Justine Davis, you’ll meet a forensic investigator on a mission, and the sexy stranger who may have deadly intentions toward her.
Veteran author Carla Cassidy brings us a babe with an attitude—and a sense of humor. Everyone wants to Get Blondie in this story of a smart-mouthed cop and the man she just can’t say no to when it comes to dealing out justice.
Finally, be the first to read hot new novelist Judith Leon’s Code Name: Dove, featuring Nova Blair, the CIA’s secret weapon. Nova’s mission this time? Seduction.
We hope you enjoy this killer lineup!
Sincerely,
Natashya Wilson
Associate Senior Editor, Silhouette Bombshell
Get Blondie
Carla Cassidy
CARLA CASSIDY
isn’t a secret agent or martial-arts expert, but she does consider herself a Bombshell kind of woman. She lives a life of love and adventure in the Midwest with her husband, Frank, and has written over fifty books for Silhouette.
Dedicated to my editor, Julie Barrett.
Thanks for all your work on this project. Long live Bombshell heroines!
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 1
The tough punk was known as Snake on the streets of Kansas City, but in reality his name was Sammy Watson and he had a long string of outstanding warrants. As he warily faced Officer Cassandra Newton beneath the dirty glare of the overhead street lamp, he appeared more like his street name than his birth name, hissing and coiling in preparation for a fight.
Cassie threw a glance toward the patrol car parked nearby. Her partner, Asia Malone, leaned against the driver door, eating a candy bar that looked minuscule in his massive hand.
A roar from Sammy yanked her attention back where it belonged just as the young man charged her like an enraged bull. With graceful agility she sidestepped the attack, then turned to face him as he stopped and turned back toward her, his breaths coming in short, quick gasps.
“Come on, Sammy. It’s been a long day. We can make this easy, or we can make it hard,” she said as the two circled each other.
“I ain’t making nothing easy on you. No bitch cop is going to take me in.”
“Don’t get her riled, Sammy boy,” Asia called out. “I know what she’s capable of and it isn’t pretty.”
“Shut up, you big, black pile of crap,” Sammy screamed. With a surprisingly quick movement he pulled a knife from his pocket. “Come on, Blondie, let’s tango.”
Cassie sighed wearily. It had been a long day of minor irritations and this kid pulling a knife on her was the last straw. Sometimes young, ignorant creeps just needed to get their butts kicked.
She drew a deep breath and centered herself. Her first kick, sharp and crisp, sent the knife flying out of Sammy’s hand. The second one, delivered to the side of his head, sent him crashing to the ground on his hands and knees.
She put her boot in the center of his back and with a minimum of pressure flattened him to the ground. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you, Sammy…” She slapped cuffs on him and yanked him to his feet. “…I hate to tango.”
She shoved the cuffed prisoner toward her partner. “Thanks for the help,” she said dryly to Asia as he popped the last of the candy bar into his mouth.
He grinned, his white teeth gleaming in the dark of the night. “Poetry in motion,” he said. “You know how much I love to watch you work.”
“Yeah, well you get to do the paperwork when we get back to the station.”
They loaded Sammy into the back seat of their car and within minutes they were on their way back to the Kansas City, Missouri East Patrol Station House.
“I’m going to kill you,” Sammy yelled from the back seat. “You’re dead. You are one dead cop.” He kicked the seat for emphasis.
“Give it a rest, Sammy,” Cassie said. “You’ve got enough warrants against you that you’ll be on Medicare when you finally see freedom again.”
Sammy fell silent, apparently contemplating his future behind bars.
“Ah, Cassie, for years I hoped to be partnered with a person who was bigger