Taken Hostage. Jordyn Redwood

      

      A DEADLY RANSOM

      When neurosurgeon Regan Lockhart’s daughter is kidnapped, the abductors want to make a deal for the little girl’s life. If she wishes to ever see her child again, Regan must hand over the virus she uses in a radical cancer treatment. But bounty hunter Colby Waterson can’t let her trade the cure, which is his sister’s last hope. He’s already lost a wife and baby, and he won’t lose anyone else. But when a mistake leads both him and Regan into the hands of the bad guys, the kidnappers up their demands. Now Regan must create a biological weapon or her daughter dies. For Colby, no case has ever been this personal. He’ll need every skill he’s got, because only he can save both his sister and the woman he’s growing to care for.

      All she could think of was her daughter.

      “Do you think...”

      Her voice trailed, but Colby knew what she didn’t ask. “I think Olivia is still alive,” he said.

      “How can you be sure?”

      “Because they clearly want you alive as well—which, to be honest, is what has me more worried.”

      She nodded without pressing him. She knew that if the bullet they’d fired had been a real one, she would be dead.

      That was when regular programming changed and the local TV news anchor came on-screen. According to the report, her nanny was dead. Then her picture was shown. “If you see this woman, contact local authorities immediately.”

      Regan’s stomach felt like a boiling mass of acrid liquid. It was as if her life was now an overturned hourglass—each grain of sand taking minutes off not only her life but Olivia’s, as well.

      Her nanny was dead. If they could kill her so easily...what did that mean for her daughter?

      Would any of them make it out alive?

      Dear Reader,

      Taken Hostage was inspired by two true medical stories I found very interesting.

      Duke University Medical Center is actually in phase I clinical trials using a genetically modified poliovirus that is working in some patients to cure recurrent glioblastoma. Of course, the leap that a cure like this could be further manipulated into a bioweapon is (as far as I know) fiction.

      The second was based on Italian physician Dr. Paolo Macchiarini who specializes in building tracheas (or windpipes). He is considered a maverick, but also some patients’ last hope at life. His compassion struck me after I watched a documentary called A Leap of Faith: A Meredith Vieira Special. What if this man went missing?

      To what lengths would I go to find him if it was my loved one that needed him?

      I always LOVE to hear from readers and can be reached via email at [email protected] or by mail at the following address: Jordyn Redwood, PO Box 1142, Parker, Colorado 80134.

      Many Blessings,

      Jordyn

      JORDYN REDWOOD is a pediatric ER nurse by day, suspense novelist by night. She pursued her dream of becoming an author by first penning her medical thrillers Proof, Poison and Peril. Jordyn hosts Redwood’s Medical Edge, a blog helping authors write medically accurate fiction. Living near the Rocky Mountains with her husband, two beautiful daughters and one crazy dog provides inspiration for her books and she loves to get email from her readers at [email protected].

      Taken Hostage

      Jordyn Redwood

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

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      And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

      —Ecclesiastes 4:12

      For my friend and mentor Candace Calvert. Thank you for taking me under your wing and being a guiding light on my writing journey.

       Acknowledgments

      Thank you to everyone at Harlequin for all the hard work you put into these books. Special thanks to my editor, Emily Rodmell, for always being available to answer my questions and offer invaluable help during the writing and editing process.

      Always a special thank-you to my friend and agent, Greg Johnson. Hopefully some big things will happen this year!

      I couldn’t do what I do without the support of my amazing husband, James. If I have any ability to write romance, it is because you show it to me every day in both big and small ways. I’m the luckiest girl.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

       Introduction

       Dear Reader

       About the Author

       Title Page

       Bible Verse

       Acknowledgments

       CHAPTER ONE

       CHAPTER TWO

       CHAPTER THREE

       CHAPTER FOUR

       CHAPTER FIVE

       CHAPTER SIX