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Beautiful Beast
Dani Sinclair
MILLS & BOON
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With thanks to Natashya Wilson for the concept, helpful corrections, suggestions, edits and hand-holding as required.
A heartfelt thank-you to Judy Fitzwater and Robyn Pope for plotting assistance, crunch-time reading, terrific suggestions and friendship above and beyond the call.
And for Roger, husband extraordinaire, who listened a lot, offered suggestions, ignored frustration and let me work when other things beckoned. You’re the best!
Always, for Chip, Dan and Barb.
Love all you guys.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Gabriel Lowe —The solitary soldier has no memory of what happened the day he was forever scarred and branded a liar and a murderer.
Cassiopia Richards —She’s determined to clear her father’s name and see that his murderer is brought to justice.
Beacher Coyle —He may be a silver-tongued ladies’ man, but he’s the only person Gabe trusts.
Major Frank Carstairs —He’s always been Gabe’s chief suspect in the theft of a deadly toxin. Too bad he died the day it was stolen.
Andrea Fielding —Dr. Pheng’s lab assistant was Gabe’s fiancée—even though her brother was antimilitary.
Major Bruce Huntington —He didn’t like having Gabe under his command. Now he’s certain Gabe will get what he deserves.
Rochelle Leeman —The gallery owner is beautiful, determined and bold enough to go after what she wants, no matter the consequences. And Gabe has what she wants.
Arthur Longstreet —The chief of security for Sunset Labs was new to the job when the toxin disappeared from under his nose.
Dr. Trung Pheng —The chief research chemist was working to create an antidote to the toxin when his work was stolen.
Dr. Powell Richards —His murder started the hunt for the missing toxin. Did the thieves turn on one of their own?
Len Sliffman —The former FBI man is trying to keep an open mind.
Contents
Cast of Characters
Prologue
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
Coming Next Month
Prologue
Frederick, Maryland
Four years earlier
Unease rode Gabe, but second lieutenants in the U.S. Army didn’t question direct orders from a major, even one outside their direct chain of command. When Major Frank Carstairs gave an order, it was obeyed.
Besides, Gabe could hardly call his captain for verification. Everyone knew Captain Bruce Huntington didn’t like Second Lieutenant Gabriel Lowe, who had been recently assigned to his military intelligence unit. And the order had nothing to do with Gabe’s babysitting job. He was the newest person in the unit, and low man, so he got all the unwanted assignments.
The original orders had been to transport three vials of a deadly toxin from the military base in Frederick, Maryland, to Dr. Powell Richards at Sunburst Laboratory in Urbana, Maryland. Gabe was then to oversee security.
Everything had gone as planned. The doctor had accepted the toxin with no hitches yesterday, and today had been a normal day. The doctor had left early, and Gabe had made certain the toxin was secured and his men in place before leaving. He’d been on his way home when Major Carstairs had ordered him to pick up Dr. Richards and escort the scientist to the base immediately.
Clearly something was wrong but no one, especially not the major, was going to bother explaining to him what that something was.
While the doctor had appeared stressed and preoccupied when he left for the day, Gabe didn’t know him well enough to know if that was normal or not. Dr. Richards hadn’t mentioned a problem and none of Gabe’s men had reported anything since he left, so what was going on?
Parking the car on the narrow street, Gabe stared up at the Richards house as dusk laid claim to the neighborhood. There was no car in the driveway and no lights to indicate anyone was home.
Other houses sparkled with lights and life as dusk yielded quickly to the press of an early nightfall. A perfectly normal scene, yet Gabe felt something was off.
Uneasy, he stepped from his car trying to determine why his senses were crying an alert for no good reason. He felt oddly exposed. His hand itched for the comfort of his holstered service revolver.
He hesitated as headlights swept up the street. The garage door began to open. The approaching vehicle slowed to make the turn, giving Gabe a clear view of the driver. Dr. Richards appeared even more stressed and distracted than before. He didn’t so much as glance at Gabe standing there. Something was definitely wrong.
Gabe’s hand still hovered near his revolver as he followed the car toward the house. He moved more quickly when it pulled all the way into the garage.
