Dangerous Pursuit (OSI Dark Ops #3)

PROLOGUE

“Norah, you know I’m not a fan of you going down to the market by yourself.” Lucas O’Halleran spread his big hand over his wife’s belly, round with their baby. “And do you really think you should be going anywhere right now? You’re about to pop.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m fine.” She patted his cheek, left their bedroom, and headed toward the kitchen. “Our little guy won’t be here for at least two more months. Besides, I’m not going alone. Adella is coming with me.”

“Adella is only eighteen, and she’s smaller than you.”

“We’ll be fine.” She opened the pantry door, pulled out a small stool, and stepped up onto it.

“Good grief, woman, get down from there. You tryin’ to give me a heart attack?” She giggled when he scooped her into his arms. And since she’d had a recent bout of dizziness, he waited to make sure she was steady on her feet before releasing her. The doctor blamed it on low blood pressure—not uncommon during pregnancy—and assured them she was fine .

“What are you looking for anyway?” he asked.

“My mesh shopping bag. The one you bought me at that little flea market in Sao Paulo. I threw it up on the top shelf, and now I can’t reach it.” She crossed her arms on top of her belly and stuck her bottom lip out. “I love that bag, and it’s the perfect size for going to the market.”

“I’ll get it for you.” He easily reached up, pulled it from the back of the shelf, and handed it to her.

One of the many things he loved about his wife was her free spirit and independent nature. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. Telling her what to do was never a good idea, so instead, he tried for a compromise.

“Can’t you wait to go to the market when I get back from flying this group of tourists around?” Lucas owned Blue Skies Helicopter Tours, which earned him a damn good living and gave him complete control over his work schedule. “That way, I can go with you and we can grab some dinner while we’re out.”

He set the stool back in the pantry and shut the door.

He met Norah Thomason during his third week of training with the Army’s Special Operations Aviation Regiment Airborne, aka the Night Stalkers, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He saw her removing towels from a dryer at a laundromat near the base.

Lucas struck up a conversation with her over warm towels, and when he got back to the base, he told his buddies he’d met his wife. He figured out which days she did her laundry and made sure he was there to do his at the same time. A bit stalkery, sure, but he’d fallen fast and he’d fallen hard.

Norah was a local girl used to shunning the advances of horny pilots, but he weakened her defenses with his undeniable charm. Actually, he bugged the shit out of her until she agreed to go out with him. Three amazing, whirlwind months later, they were married.

She stuck with him through one long deployment after another. Finally, after a few years as an Army Black Hawk pilot, shuttling special operators into and out of war zones, he’d had enough of death. He loved what he did and knew it was important work, but he’d walked away without a single regret. After that, he and Norah spent two years traveling all over the world.

She was a freelance web designer and artist who could work anywhere, as long as she had access to Wi-Fi and her oil paints and brushes. And he earned money flying helos for anyone who would let him. Which worked for him, because he loved to fly only slightly less than he loved his wife.

During one of their adventures, as Norah liked to call them, they’d discovered the little village of Palomino located on the northern coast of Colombia. They fell in love with the area and the people and never left .

Nestled along the Caribbean Sea, it had always been pretty safe. Then the tourist industry discovered the little hidden gem and started throwing up hotels, restaurants, and bars. With them came the inevitable increase in drugs, crime, and human trafficking.

The latter was what he worried about the most and was why he would prefer she wait until he could accompany her.

“You know I have to get there early to snag the best fruits and vegetables.” She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “How about this? I’ll go straight to the market and come straight back home. And I promise, we’ll be careful.”

“Okay, fine.” He held his wife close, their unborn child nestled between them. “Keep your eyes on a swivel and listen to your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, you head home.” The baby gave a little kick that Lucas felt against his abs. “See? Even baby agrees.”

“Yes, sir.” She deepened her voice and gave him a mock salute just as the bell chimed at the front door. “That’s going to be Adella.”

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too.” She gave him a nice long kiss to hold him over until he saw her later.

Norah grabbed her wallet out of the basket by the front door, hung the empty bag over her shoulder, and headed to the door .

“Hi,” she greeted Adella. “Bye, babe.” She turned to blow Lucas a kiss, then walked out the door.

He had no idea the next time he would see his beloved Norah would be on a slab at the coroner’s office. And he would never get to see their son.

That was the day Lucas lost everything that mattered to him … and he could've prevented it.