A Father's Duty - Joanna Wayne

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      “What do you know about my daughter?” Tanner demanded.

      Anger and desperation darkened his face. There was no doubt she’d hit a nerve.

      “Your daughter?” Georgette asked.

      “Don’t play games with me, Georgette. You come in here in your little power suit, flash a business card that says you’re from the D.A.’s office and ask me the same questions over and over.” He picked up her drawings and shook them in her face. “Now you show me a sketch of my missing daughter and some muscular thug.”

      “I had information you were linked to the young woman in the drawing, but I never realized—”

      “Is she in trouble?”

      “She could be….”

      His grip tightened on her arm. “Talk, Georgette!”

      “If I tell you the truth, you must promise never to tell a soul.”

      He exhaled sharply. “I’ll promise whatever you want. Just tell me how you know about Lily.”

      “I know because…” her voice faltered. “I know because I have the gift.”

      Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

      To chase away those end-of-summer blues, we have an explosive lineup that’s guaranteed to please!

      Joanna Wayne leaves goosebumps with A Father’s Duty, the third book in NEW ORLEANS CONFIDENTIAL. In this riveting conclusion, murder, mayhem…and mystique are unleashed in the Big Easy. And that’s just the beginning! Unauthorized Passion, which marks the beginning of Amanda Stevens’s new action-packed miniseries, MATCHMAKERS UNDERGROUND, features a lethally sexy lawman who takes a beautiful imposter into his protective custody. Look for Just Past Midnight by Ms. Stevens from Harlequin Books next month at your favorite retail outlet.

      Danger and discord sweep through Antelope Flats when B.J. Daniels launches her western series, MCCALLS’ MONTANA. Will the town ever be the same after a fiery showdown between a man on a mission and The Cowgirl in Question? Next up, the second book in ECLIPSE, our new gothic-inspired promotion. Midnight Island Sanctuary by Susan Peterson—a spine-tingling “gaslight” mystery set in a remote coastal town—will pull you into a chilling riptide.

      To wrap up this month’s thrilling lineup, Amy J. Fetzer returns to Harlequin Intrigue to unravel a sinister black-market baby ring mystery in Undercover Marriage. And, finally, don’t miss The Stolen Bride by Jacqueline Diamond—an edge-of-your-seat reunion romance about an amnesiac bride-in-jeopardy who is about to get a crash course in true love.

      Enjoy!

      Denise O’Sullivan

      Senior Editor

      Harlequin Intrigue

      A Father’s Duty

      Joanna Wayne

       image www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      Joanna Wayne lives with her husband in the perfect writer’s hideaway beside a lazy bayou, complete with graceful herons, colorful wood ducks and an occasional alligator. When not creating tales of spine-tingling suspense and heartwarming romance, she enjoys reading, traveling, playing golf and spending time with family and friends.

      Joanna believes that one of the special joys of writing is knowing that her stories have brought enjoyment to or somehow touched the lives of her readers. You can write Joanna at P.O. Box 2851, Harvey, LA 70059-2851.

      THE CONFIDENTIAL AGENT’S PLEDGE

      I hereby swear to uphold the law to the best of my ability; to maintain the level of integrity of this agency by my compassion for victims, loyalty to my brothers and courage under fire.

      And above all, to hold all information and identities in the strictest confidence….

      CAST OF CHARACTERS

      Tanner Harrison—New Orleans Confidential Agent who’s obsessed with finding his missing daughter.

      Georgette Delacroix—Junior prosecutor in the D.A.’s office. She’s dedicated to her work and determined to deny the gift passed down by her mother.

      Lily Harrison—Seventeen-year-old daughter of Tanner, who is running for her life.

      Juliana Lodge—Lily’s mother and Tanner’s ex-wife.

      Isabella Delacroix—Georgette’s voodoo priestess mother.

      Mason Bartley—Ex-con who is now a Confidential agent and Tanner’s partner.

      Becky Lane—Underage prostitute who supplies Tanner with information about Lily.

      Sebastion Primeaux—District Attorney who is sleeping with the mob.

      Jerome Senegal—Ruthless mob boss.

      Tony “The Knife” Arsenault—A mob enforcer who gets out of jail on missing evidence.

      Maurice Gaspard—Pimp who stays out of jail by killing anyone who’d dare testify against him.

      The Scorpions—South American rebels who’ve infiltrated the French Quarter.

      To everyone who loves New Orleans, a sultry city with history, mystique, excitement and a thousand faces, all uniquely its own.

      Contents

      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

      Epilogue

      Chapter One

      August in New Orleans was like a nasty disease that clogged your lungs and made you sweat from every pore in your body. It was near midnight now and still there was no relief from the heat or the humidity, especially not here on the edge of the French Quarter where the stench of stale beer, fried seafood and someone’s pot habit hung heavy in the air.

      Tanner Harrison had loved the inner city and the French Quarter once. He’d fed on its boisterous revelry, couldn’t get enough of the jazz, the food or the Big Easy attitude. That had been years ago. Now the area was like everything else in his life, a plague to be endured. But tonight desperation added a new element to his restless discontent. It rode his nerves like a hissing snake looking for somewhere to sink its fangs.

      Lily. Sweet, innocent Lily. Climbing onto his lap and cuddling into his arms for a bedtime story. Skipping through Hyde Park on a summer’s day, her tiny hand clutching his. Waving goodbye as he’d boarded plane after plane after plane, always turning at the last second so he didn’t see the tears sliding down her cheek and she didn’t see the back of his hand flick across his own wet eyes.

      Only Lily was no longer living in London with her mother. And his seventeen-year-old daughter was no longer innocent.

      His daughter was here in New Orleans, last seen turning tricks for Maurice Gaspard. Tanner had seen it all in a lifetime of law enforcement, but nothing had ever made him physically ill the way thinking

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