About the Book
Series: SCVC Taskforce #4
Release Date: July 13,
2015
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Book Summary:
She’ll do anything to find her sister…
Deep
undercover with a Tijuana drug cartel, FBI agent Sophia Diaz is two days away
from making the biggest bust of her career…and tracking down her sister who
went missing ten years ago. But when a rival cartel puts out a hit on her,
there’s only one man who can keep her alive.
He’ll do anything to keep her safe…
Immigration
enforcement officer, Nelson Cruz, has his hands full with his own operation
while undercover as a member of the Savages motorcycle gang. When orders come
down that he has to protect the sexy, but oh-so-aloof, Agent Diaz without
breaking his cover, Nelson must put his skills to the ultimate test. Especially
since a previous relationship with Sophie compromised his career and wreaked
havoc on his heart.
South of the border is no place to die…
Nelson’s
never gotten over the time he spent in Sophie’s bed or the fact she
double-crossed him on their last mission together. He can’t trust her…and she
doesn’t trust anybody. As the two fight their red-hot, south of the border
attraction, Nelson discovers a secret that could destroy Sophie’s world
forever. Once again, he’s forced to put his job—and his life—on the line for
her. Can he keep her alive and out of prison? Or will their careers, as
well as their hearts, go up in the flames of desire?
Deadly Intent Excerpt
Nelson
Cruz thought he might throw up.
His
left temple beat a violent staccato timed to AC/DC’s Hells Bells. His
eyelids scratched like sandpaper against his corneas. The left eye was swollen
shut; the right didn’t seem to want to obey on principal.
Swallowing
past the dryness in his throat, he drew a deep breath and focused on the last
thing he could remember. A humid, dark building. Body odor, cigarettes, the
hiss of…
Snakes?
Someone
had grabbed him. Threats had been yelled in his face. A fist had connected with
his eye, another with his gut.
Interrupting
the replay in his head, a floral scent brought him back to the here and now,
teasing his nose and reminding him of something—someone—completely different.
It smelled like…
Sophie.
Dreaming.
He had to be dreaming.
Playing
possum, he held still and finished his inventory. His aching head rested on
something soft. Pillow. He was flat on his back, limbs splayed, his
battered body cushioned. Bed.
The
floral scent grew stronger. A low, seductive voice said, “You looked better
last year in San Diego, niño. You really should have stayed there.”
That
voice. Smooth. Almost a purr.
Sophie.
His
body responded like it always did at the thought of her—his cock grew hard at
the thought of her luscious curves in spite of the fact that he’d just had the
shit beat out of him. Memories of warm nights, too much tequila, and an ocean
of stars assaulted his brain.
Commanding
his good eye to open, he realized it didn’t matter. Something covered his eyes.
He brought a hand to his face.
Or
tried to anyway. Both hands were held hostage, his wrists tied.
Metal
rattled as he jerked at the restraints. Not tied. Handcuffed.
To the
bed.
Correction:
He was handcuffed to FBI Agent Sophia Diaz’s bed.
Ah,
shit. “Uncuff me, Soph.”
His
voice was rough. Too rough. Too many late nights drinking and smoking with the
Savages Motorcycle Gang. This undercover assignment was going to kill him.
If
Sophie didn’t first.
The
mattress dipped from her weight as she joined him on the bed. Warm fingers
played over his naked bicep. “Why are you here?”
To
protect your ass and bring you home.
Better
to keep that a secret. At least the part about the FBI believing she was a
rogue agent. Diaz had a chip on her shoulder bigger than his dick. “Uncuff me
and I’ll tell you.”
Her
fingernail dug into his muscle. Just enough to remind him she was in charge.
“Tell me first, then I might turn you loose. Or I might shoot you.”
Nothing
with Sophie was ever easy. “You know what happened the last time you handcuffed
me to your bed.”
“Yes,
you had the night of your life.”
True.
It had actually been two nights, but it could have been a thousand and it
wouldn’t have been enough. “You enjoyed it as much as I did.”
“And
then you left me.”
After
he’d found out the truth. After she’d thrown her handcuffs at his head and
given a nice scar. “If you’d told me who you were up front, things might have
turned out differently.”
“I was
undercover.”
“As
was I.”
She
lifted the corner of the blindfold covering his right eye. Her long, dark hair,
beautiful skin, and big hazel-green eyes swam into focus. “Why are you in
Tijuana?”
Work
was as good of an excuse as ever. Except that if he mentioned his original
assignment—Chica Bonita—she’d probably shoot him in the balls for good measure
and then throw him out.
Good
thing he was a skilled liar. “Just joined the Savages. I’m patrolling the
border for Morales.”
“You’re
lying.” The blindfold slipped off his head. She sat back on her heels.
“Rodrigo’s men are the ones who did this to you.”
Either
his vision was screwed or the blow to his eye had messed with his head. Through
the haze, it looked like Sophie was wearing nothing but her bra, some lacy
black underpants, and a garter. Her breasts were pushed up and out, creating
cleavage that made Nelson’s dry mouth water.
Apparently,
she didn’t appreciate his ogling, even if it was only with one eye. She smacked
him on the cheek. “Focus!”
Hard
to do when she was mostly naked on the bed beside him. “God’s truth, Soph. I’m
undercover to investigate the gang and some of their dealings along the border.
Not all of Morales’s men, and certainly not Rodrigo, know me yet. Especially
his personal security team. Who suck, by the way. I’m surprised he’s not dead
already.”
“Why
were you were sneaking around the grounds of the compound?”
“Can
you please uncuff me so we can talk like rational human beings?”
“The
only reason you’re alive at this moment is because I intervened and stopped
Chavez and his goons from killing you. Rodrigo Morales happens to like me and
Chavez knows it. It took some begging on my part, and a threat or two, but I
got him to bring you here and let me handle you.”
“Chavez?”
“Rodrigo’s
head of security. The guy who gave you the black eye?”
“Ah.
Well, he needs a lesson in protecting an asset.”
“Look,
I’m valuable to the Morales cartel, but I still had to lie and say you were…my
lover.” She gave an exaggerated shudder. “It was the only way to explain how I
knew you.”
“Lover,
huh?” He grinned. “I’m happy to play my part.”
Leaning
forward, she put her luscious cleavage on full display in front of his face as
she stroked his jawline with a finger. He could see the sexy little gap between
her front two teeth. “You owe me your life, Nels.”
Her
full lips were covered in glossy, red lipstick. Her eyes danced with mischief.
Being
a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent with the Southern California
Violent Crimes Taskforce had prepared him for many things in his undercover
roles with gangs, drug cartels, and human traffickers. Physical violence,
torture, possible death. Never had it prepared him for the force of nature
contained in the five-foot-five, irresistible package known as Sophia Diaz.
Tied
to her bed once more, it was fifty shades of Sophia all over again. Her beauty
stunned him into silence. His cock was so tight against his zipper, it hurt.
She
took his silence as stubbornness rather than speechlessness, and since she knew
a thing or two about breaking his will, she straddled him.
Jesus,
Joseph, and Mary. She was wearing spiky red heels.
Her
curvaceous bottom nestled down on his hard cock and he moaned before he could
stop himself. She planted her hands on his chest and arched her back, a blatant
reminder of how she’d rode him the last time they’d spent time in bed together.
“You’re wasting time, niño. Tell me the truth or…”
She
ground herself into him slowly and deliberately, licking her lips and smiling
down on him.
Torture.
Brutal, beautiful torture like he hadn’t had since the last time they were in
this exact position.
She
was undercover, working on bringing down Rodrigo Morales. He was undercover,
working a different angle, but on the same man and his cartel. They should be
able to work together.
Regardless
of the past lies and indiscretions.
In
fact, working together would be better for both of them.
Except
Special Agent Diaz wasn’t a team player. Never had been. She was the most
fiercely independent agent in the FBI. She worked alone and always got her
man—the only reason the Feds allowed her to be so independent. Their concern
that she’d been under too long on this mission and may have gone rogue was
ridiculous. Sophie was Bureau to her lovely bones. Her track record was
spotless.
With
one exception.
Chica
Bonita.
He
couldn’t tell her he was investigating the possible resurgence of the human
trafficking operation that had been the only failure of her career.
So he
told her the only thing he could. “Guido Ruiz.”
The
sex goddess morphed back into FBI agent. She stopped undulating on top of him
and gave him a hard stare. “What about him?”
Nelson
took one last look at all the beautiful cleavage and sighed. “He put out a hit
on you at 0800 hours yesterday.”
“What?
Where did you hear this?”
“He
hired me to do it.”
That
gave her pause. “You?”
“He
doesn’t know I’m with the Savages and my backstop identity says I’ve done
murder-for-hire quite successfully. At the bar the other night, Guido offered
me a hundred-thousand to kill you—one of the reasons the FBI and the SCVC
Taskforce want me to bring you home.”
She
looked at him wide-eyed for a second and then threw back her head and laughed.
Low and husky, the sound sent ripples down his spine, not to mention what it
did to his already straining lower parts.
Patting
his chest, she gave another chuckle. “I’m not going anywhere with you, ICE boy.
Feel free to run back to San Diego and tell the FBI, and your boss at the
taskforce, to stay out of my operation. I’m not scared of Guido and I’m too
close to bringing down Morales to blow this over an idle threat by a spoiled
brat posing as a rival cartel leader.”
Guido
was no spoiled brat. He was a six-foot-three monster with a shaved head and
teardrop tattoos. Six of ʼem. He’d once worked for Rodrigo’s father and decided
to take over. A bloody battle ensued, but Ciro Morales had deep pockets and
loyal employees. He won the skirmish and Guido went underground.
For a
while, anyway.
Now,
with Ciro dead, the monster was back and he was coming after Ciro’s son.
Killing off Rodrigo Morales was tough, even if his security detail wasn’t the brightest,
and Guido liked to make his prey suffer first. Everyone knew Rodrigo had a
thing for his accountant. Guido planned to kill her off first.
“It’s
not an idle threat, Soph.” Nelson understood Sophie’s bravado. As an undercover
agent, her life was always in danger, like his. Miss 99% Ball Buster wasn’t
about to let a criminal of any type ruin her chance at a successful bust,
regardless of the fact that Guido had once been the Morales cartel’s right-hand
man and was the only serious menace to Rodrigo at this point. But that didn’t
matter. The higher-ups wanted her butt back in the U.S. “Your life is in
imminent danger. It’s time to pack it in.”
“I
can’t leave. I won’t leave. Not yet.” She studied him, her eyes
softening as she leaned forward, putting her face in front of his. “But maybe
you can stay if you play along and pretend to be my lover and bodyguard.”
Once
more through the fog in his brain due to her nearness, Nelson reminded himself
that Sophie never worked with a partner. Which was why he’d ended up holding
shit instead of evidence the last round he’d gone with her.
Fool
me once, shame on me. Fool me twice…
“What do I get out of it?”
Sophie
grinned and produced a key from between her breasts. “For starters, I’ll
release you.”
That
was easy.
Too
easy.
Something
was wrong here but he couldn’t snap the pieces together when she was shoving
her chest into his and her big smile encouraged him to forget his misgivings
and consider her offer.
Freedom
and Sophie in one package. What could he say?
“You
have a deal, Agent Diaz.”
* * *
My Review:
In Deadly Intent Misty Evans gave me a whirlwind of action, suspense, and romance. Nelson and Sophie have a past, and now they have a present together too...but will they have a future together?
Nelson and Sophie's past is interesting, and the feelings still swirl around them when they are together, as much as Sophie in particular doesn't want them to. She has her own end goal and passion, one she keeps secret even from Nelson. Although Sophie was a difficult character at times to understand and get to know, I had to admire her strength and determination. Sophie did not come across as a team player, but she'll have no choice where Nelson is concerned! I really liked Nelson. He has a job to do, orders to carry out, but for Sophie he bends them, he goes with the flow (even if it is dangerous), and does what he believes to be the best thing to do given the circumstances. He hasn't forgotten the past either, and despite of it, he still wants Sophie...not only to be safe, but for himself. Can he have both though? Or either even?
There is a lot of conflict, tension, and danger in Deadly Intent. Enough to keep me on the edge as I read, hoping that Sophie and Nelson could find resolution not only for the case they are working on but for themselves. As I read Deadly Intent the plot felt like it could be real, and the danger felt very real! The passion between Nelson and Sophia fills the pages, and the issues these two have are believable.
There are quite a few secondary characters and some of the background is easier to understand if you have read the previous books in this series by Misty Evans (Southern California Violent Taskforce) who are easier to understand if you read the previous books in this series. Lexi, who is the villains sister, adds some extra emotional depth to the plot too.
Deadly Intent is fast paced and easy to read, and I'd recommend it and this series to any romantic suspense reader.
About the Author
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Misty Evans has published
over twenty novels and writes romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal
romance. As a writing coach, she helps other authors bring their books – and
their dreams of being published – to life.
The books in
her Super Agent series have won a CataNetwork Reviewers’ Choice Award, CAPA
nominations, the New England Reader’s Choice Bean Pot Award for Best Romantic
Suspense in 2010 and the ACRA Heart of Excellence Reader’s Choice Award for
Best Romantic Suspense in 2011.
Her Witches
Anonymous series was dubbed a Fallen Angel Reviews Recommended Read. The Super
Agent Series, Witches Anonymous Series, and the Kali Sweet Series have been on
multiple Amazon Kindle bestsellers lists. Her culinary romantic mystery, THE
SECRET INGREDIENT, and the first book in her Deadly series, DEADLY PURSUIT, are
both USA TODAY bestsellers.
Misty likes
her coffee black, her conspiracy stories juicy, and her wicked characters
dressed in couture. When not reading or writing, she enjoys music, movies, and
hanging out with her husband, twin sons, and two spoiled puppies.
* * *
A note from Misty:
Dear Reader,
Nothing pulls on my heartstrings more than kids and dogs.
The World Health Organization estimates there are 1.4 million kids worldwide who, like Lexie in Deadly Intent, are blind. Historically in the U.S. blind children and youth did not receive guide dogs until they reached the age of 18.
During my research, however, I stumbled upon the MIRA Foundation. MIRA USA was founded to provide guide dogs free of charge to blind children and youth between the ages of 11-17. MIRA has been successfully pairing guide dogs with children and youth since 1991, and they remain the only organization in the world dedicated to training guide dogs for this age group.
At $60,000 per placement, these dogs present a significant expense. MIRA USA pays all of the costs associated with receiving a dog as well as all of the follow-up training that takes place after the student returns home.
Also in my research, I came across 4 Paws For Ability. Their mission is to enrich the lives of children with disabilities by the training and placement of quality, task-trained service dogs to provide increased independence for the children and assistance to their families. They place dogs with youth and veterans and assist with animal rescue when possible. A win-win if I ever saw one.
I can’t say enough about these two amazing groups. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of this story will be donated to MIRA and 4Paws4Ability. I hope you’ll help spread the word about these great organizations and the work they do to help kids and adults alike!
Happy reading!
Misty
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