When danger hides in plain sight.
When Danny turned to Moira in the kitchen after dinner, and she bounced off his chest, this time, he caught her. The heat flying between them had been nearing an inferno. They’d talked and laughed like normal people having dinner, but the looks they’d shared had been so hot, the flames engulfed them.
He’d known cleaning up the dishes—few as there were since they’d had takeout—would be a good excuse to get close to her, to touch her hand when handing off dishes to dry. And he knew that bumping into her could also be an option. Case in point.
He held her arms tightly against him. He heard, rather than felt, the hitch in her breathing. It fed his desire to take her to bed. And it was damn time he did that with her.
“If you don’t want this,” he said in a hoarse voice, “now is the time to speak up.”
With her adorable Irish accent, she said, “Aye, I want this.”
Titles by Sheila Kell
H I S SERIES
His Desire
His Choice
His Return
His Chance
His Destiny
His Family
His Heart
His Fantasy
A Hamilton Christmas
AGENTS OF H I S
Evening Shadows
Midnight Escape
Copyright © 2020 by Sheila Kell
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, Cunningham Publishing, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
Publisher: Cunningham Publishing
Editor: Hot Tree Editing
Cover and Interior Design: RMGraphX
ISBN 9780999249697 (Electronic copy)
ISBN 9780578637938 (Paperback copy)
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
When danger hides in plain sight.
Titles by Sheila Kell
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Epilogue
A Note From Sheila
About The Author
Books by Sheila Kell
To
Jamie McDowell Reinhardt—AJ’s biggest fan
You’re the first reader to have a tattoo of my book. I’ll always remember that.
Acknowledgments
I had some unique help while writing Midnight Escape. First, I had to learn how to handle a helicopter emergency. Not personally, but how to describe it for my readers. Thankfully, Wayne Breeden, Chief Pilot at Helicopters, Inc., in Memphis, Tennessee, came to my rescue. His experiences drove my decision on the type of emergency for Danny to handle.
Second, I had to learn all things Irish. Well, enough for an Irish character in the U.S. Again, someone came to my rescue. Actually, two people. Both Natasha Maher and Maria McHugh helped me understand Irish slang and sayings. Oh, and a bit of Irish Gaelic also. I hope I was able to explain all Irish terms or phrases within the scenes.
Next is the best cover designer ever. RMGraphX took my ideas and, once again, put together a cover that made me say “Wow.” The cover is Danny’s story in one picture.
As always, my work cannot be complete without Becky Johnson and her team at Hot Tree Editing. I enjoy the interactions with my post-beta readers: Crystal Earl, Franci Neill, Kim Deister, and Robert Holland. Their commentary and suggestions have me laughing most of the time. Every now and then they give me a thumbs down on something I wrote that I thought was extraordinary. All in all, they are the best next to last step.
The last step before RMGraphX formatted Midnight Escape, Rebecca of Rebecca’s Fairest Reviews gave the manuscript a tight proofread. She’s a great addition to my group.
Finally, and several steps above, I have four ladies whom I adore and have done their best to help make sure this is a brilliant story. My pre-beta readers—Linda Dossett, Helen McNabb, Lily Greer, and Jessica Neuhart are amazing. I don’t envy them as they read my story before I send it to the editor. I wouldn’t have made it forward without their input. My deepest appreciation.
Chapter One
Baltimore, Maryland
Danny Franks's calm shattered at an audible pitch that signaled the helicopter rotors slowing while in midair. The Q and A between him and his FAA examiner ended abruptly as Danny’s check ride took a deadly turn.
Allowing Wayne Singleton, his examiner, to plummet four hundred feet and die in a fiery crash would guarantee a failure of his private pilot license test. Not that he’d need it at that point either.
As a former DEA agent and current HIS agent—an elite security organization—he’d faced death on more than one occasion, but he’d always had wits and access to a weapon to protect himself, whether it be a rifle, a handgun, a knife, or whatever he could find close at hand—and there was always something or a teammate near. Now, however, he only had his wits and instincts to safely land the 1821-pound aircraft on the outskirts of Baltimore, allowing them to both walk away unscathed.
Even though hardened to danger, fear jolted his system, his gut clenched, and his heart pounded painfully and with frightening speed, setting his nerves on edge, ensuring he was indeed still alive. He’d been trained to control the impulses in his body and mind enough to act with calm and precision. At the moment, he couldn’t harness that control. With the sick feeling washing through him, he fought the internal battle to clear his mind and hone his senses to the current challenge.
Slowing rotors was enough trouble, but he knew other trouble could exist. Wayne surely expected him
