Book description:
He’ll put his life on the line…
If it means protecting a little boy and his pregnant mom.
If it means protecting a little boy and his pregnant mom.
After months of searching, security expert Ryker Tillman finally finds Olivia Habush and her young son—just as they are attacked by armed mercenaries. Now safeguarding Olivia, her unborn child and little Aaron is the former special ops soldier’s new mission. But to save the family burrowing into his heart, Ryker must figure out why someone wants them dead…
Sales links:
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B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/guarded-by-the-soldier-laura-scott/1135512737?ean=9781335402929
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Google: https://books.google.ca/books/about/Guarded_by_the_Soldier.html?id=ALnDDwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y
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Indie Bound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335402929
Excerpt
Olivia Habush closed and locked the
office door, then shouldered her large zebra-striped bag before heading out the
back door of the church. The early June evening was warm, and she resisted the
urge to fan herself. Early summer in the quaint town of Harrisburg, Illinois,
was much warmer than what she was used to when she’d lived in Madison,
Wisconsin.
The edges of her oversize blouse
flapped around her large pregnant belly as she made her way across the street.
Mrs. Willa Bentley was watching over Olivia’s three-year-old son Aaron while
Liv did her weekly Thursday- night bookkeeping job for the We Are One Church.
As an accountant, she enjoyed working with numbers and it was the least she
could do for the nice people who’d welcomed her with open arms.
Upon turning the corner, the hairs
on the back of her neck rose in alarm. For the second time this week she had
the distinct feeling she was being watched.
The Blake-Moore Group.
Was it possible the organization
her late husband worked for had found her again, after all this time? Having
overheard details about what the former soldiers belonging to the Blake-Moore
Group had gotten involved in, she knew they were not to be trusted.
Resisting the urge to glance over
her shoulder, she began to run, her movements awkward and clumsy be-cause of
her pregnant belly. Her oversize purse/diaper bag banged against her hip as she
moved. The run didn’t last long, and she slowed to a fast walk while
frantically looking for someone nearby.
But there wasn’t anyone around. For
whatever reason, the streets of the Garden Ridge neighborhood were un-usually
vacant and quiet.
Liv pulled her phone from the front
pocket of her bag, intending to call 911 despite her determination to avoid the
police, but before she could push a button, large, strong hands roughly grabbed
her from behind.
“No! Let me go!” She managed to get
most of the words out mere seconds before a firm, calloused hand clamped hard
over her mouth. Her phone fell uselessly to the ground with a loud clatter.
She couldn’t breathe!
Panic flared, paralyzing her with
fear. They’d found her. After all this time, the men employed by the
Blake-Moore Group, the men who’d turned her husband into a monster, had found
her!
Dear Lord, help me!
Desperate to save herself and her
unborn baby, she lashed out against her attacker with all her strength, kicking
backward with her feet and scratching at every exposed inch of skin on his face
and hands.
“Knock it off,” her attacker
growled, his voice low and rough in her ear as his arm tightened painfully around
her. “Or I’ll kill you right here and now.”
Kill her? No! This couldn’t be
happening! She thought about her son, Aaron, and her unborn baby. Her eyes
burned with helpless tears as her attacker easily subdued her feeble struggles
and began to pull her backward, away from the streetlights and deeper into the
shadows.
She stopped struggling, in an
attempt to preserve her strength while reminding herself that she’d escaped
once before and could do so again. Granted, that was six months ago, when she’d
only just discovered she was six weeks pregnant instead of thirty-four.
How had they found her?
“Oomph.” The man holding her in his
iron grasp abruptly let go. Still off-balance, Liv felt herself falling
backward, even as she flailed her arms in an attempt to stay upright.
A pair of strong hands caught her
before she could hit the ground, gently pushing her upright so that she was
back on her own two feet. Her bag was somehow still on her shoulder and she
hitched it higher, feeling relieved for a brief moment before realizing this
could be another guy from the Blake-Moore Group.
“Let me go!” She shouted as loudly
as she could, but the words came out like a weak croak. “Help! Police! Help
me!”
“Olivia, please be quiet. We need
to get out of here and pick up your son before this guy regains consciousness.”
The stranger’s use of her first
name pulled her up short. She twisted out of his grasp and stared at his face,
but he didn’t look familiar. She noted he was dressed from head to toe in
black, making it easy for him to blend into the night. Then her gaze dropped to
the body of a man lying on the ground, also dressed in black, apparently
unconscious. The silver glint of a knife blade lying on the asphalt beside him
caught her eye, making her swallow hard.
What was going on? Who were these
men?
“Olivia, I’m not with the
Blake-Moore Group,” the stranger continued in a tone she was sure he meant to
be reassuring. “I’m here to keep you and your son safe.”
Author bio: Laura
Scott is honored to write for the Love Inspired Suspense line, where a reader
can find a heartwarming journey of faith amid the thrilling danger. She lives
with her husband of twenty-five years and has two children, a daughter and a
son, who are both in college. She works as a critical-care nurse during the day
at a large level-one trauma center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and spends her spare
time writing romance. Visit Laura at www.laurascottbooks.com.
Author links:
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Author website: https://www.laurascottbooks.com/
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Author newsletter: https://www.laurascottbooks.com/contact
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurascottbooks
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraScottBooks/
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