Desperado. Diana Palmer

      Risking his neck is all in a day’s work…

      Tough and relentless, Cord Romero lives for the adrenaline rush that comes with being a mercenary for hire. But this time the job is personal. Having barely survived a murder attempt from an elusive enemy, Cord is determined to neutralize his foe—the head of a multinational corporation that fronts a child labor ring. In order to get closer to his target, Cord joins forces with the Lassiter Detective Agency, where he’s reunited with his childhood friend Maggie Barton. Maggie is no longer the impressionable young woman he once knew. She is now strong, independent and in charge of her own life—and, professionally, Cord’s equal. She has one vulnerability: a tragic secret from her past that threatens her relationship with Cord…and sets her up as a pawn for his deadly enemy.

      Cord cannot afford to be distracted during the most important case of his life. But Maggie plays an indispensable part in unraveling the links to his enemy’s crimes. Forced to trust each other for their very survival, Cord and Maggie embark on a lethal game of cat and mouse that can leave only one winner standing.

Praise for the novels of New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author DIANA PALMER

      “Palmer demonstrates, yet again, why she’s the

      queen of desperado quests for justice and true love.” —Publishers Weekly on Dangerous

      “A strong mystery intertwines with this romance, which

      has plenty of emotional ups and downs and includes delightful, intriguing and familiar characters.” —RT Book Reviews on Dangerous

      “The popular Palmer has penned another winning

      novel, a perfect blend of romance and suspense.” —Booklist on Lawman

      “Sensual and suspenseful.”

      —Booklist on Lawless

      “Diana Palmer is a mesmerizing storyteller who

      captures the essence of what a romance should be.” —Affaire de Coeur

      “This is a fascinating story…

      It’s nice to have a hero wise enough to know when he can’t do things alone and willing to accept help when he needs it. There is pleasure to be found in the nice sense of family this tale imparts.” —RT Book Reviews on Wyoming Bold

      “Diana Palmer is one of those authors whose books

      are always enjoyable. She throws in romance, suspense and a good storyline.” —The Romance Reader on Before Sunrise

      “Lots of passion, thrills, and plenty of suspense…

      Protector is a top notch read!” —Romance Reviews Today on Protector

      Desperado

      Diana Palmer

      

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dear Reader,

      I started out as a newspaper reporter, at the age of seventeen. By the time I married, at age twenty-five, I was working as a district correspondent for two daily newspapers, and full-time on a local weekly newspaper. At the age of thirty-three, I saw my first novel published and produced my greatest creative work, our son Blayne. Now, as I look back on a career that spans decades, I can see a common thread in the process that led me to being a full-time author—insanity!

      Just kidding. But it does help to be a little out of kilter if you want to do this for a living. Example: Cash Grier is featured in my novel Renegade. Now, he started out as a very minor character in a novel called The Texas Ranger. I thought that was the end of it. Imagine my surprise when he suddenly appeared as assistant police chief of Jacobsville, Texas, in Lawless. No, I didn’t put him in the position. He walked into my office, creatively speaking, sat down in my chair, put his big booted feet on my desk and announced that he was taking over my book. This did not sit well. But he proved impossible to evict, so I wrote Renegade, hoping he might take the hint and leave. As you know, if you read my books, this was also an optimistic and futile wish. He has never left. One of my readers, Cinzi, keeps hoping I will toss Tippy under an ice cream truck and give Cash Grier to her. I really can’t. Tippy would start haunting me.

      On the other hand, Cord Romero, in Desperado, started out also in another book, in my Most Wanted series. He turned up in a few other books, as well. He wasn’t as pushy as Cash, but he did fascinate me. So he got a book of his own, and a happy ending. I’m big on those. Life doesn’t give us many. Fiction should take up the slack, or at least, that’s my own philosophy.

      While Cash’s story played out in Jacobsville and New York City (one of my favorite places!), Cord wound his way through Texas and Europe in an effort to save the lives of exploited children. He also found out some interesting and tragic things about his foster sister in the process. A lot of Jacobsville’s mercenaries also turn up in Desperado, including Rodrigo Ramirez, of Fearless, and Bojo, who was featured in Lord of the Desert.

      Both these books are epic love stories, with twists and turns and many red herrings. I hope you will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

      I am busy working on other projects, most notably a new Wyoming series beginning with Sara Brandon from Texas Born and a book about Stanton Rourke from Invincible. I am also reworking my science fiction novels in The Morcai Battalion series. The Morcai Battalion: The Recruit, which really is a love story about Dr. Madeline Ruszel and the alien Cehn-Tahr commander Dtimun, has new scenes and will be out from Mills & Boon HQN in both ebook and paperback form in December 2014. I am rewriting its sequel, The Morcai Battalion: Invictus, and it will appear in print in late 2015. There will be other books in the series, notably The Morcai Battalion: Ship’s Surgeon with Dr. Edris Mallory in 2016. In my spare time, I sleep. :)

      Thank you so much for all your kindness to me over the years, dear readers. I am your biggest fan!

      Love,

      Diana Palmer

      To the doctors and nurses of

      Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, who saved my life, and to the wonderful staff, with thanks from a grateful patient.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

Praise

       Title Page

Dear Reader

       Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR