Julie Garwood - Sizzle

B Y J ULIE G ARWOOD

Gentle Warrior
Rebellious Desire
Honors Splendour
The Lions Lady
The Bride
Guardian Angel
The Gift
The Prize
The Secret
Castles
Saving Grace
Prince Charming
For the Roses
The Wedding
The Clayborne Brides
Come the Spring
Ransom
Heartbreaker
Mercy
Killjoy
Murder List
Slow Burn
Shadow Dance
Shadow Music
Fire and Ice

In memory of
Thomas Edward Murphy III
Our Tommy
One of the brightest lights in my life
Giddyup

T HEY CALLED HIM A HERO FOR DOING HIS JOB . A ND IF THAT werent bad enough, damn if they werent making him talk about it.

Special Agent Samuel Wellington Kincaid received a standing ovation when he finished his lecture. He gave a quick nod then tried to leave the podium and the auditorium, but he was pulled back by another FBI agent who insisted that, as soon as the cheering and clapping stopped, Sam answer questions.

Knowing he should cooperate, he nodded again and waited for the audience of cadets and future FBI agents to quiet down. Like most people, Sam hated giving speeches, especially those concerning his work in intelligence, but this was a training seminar and a goodwill mission, and he had been ordered by his superiors to talk about his role in the dramatic capture of the notorious Edward Chester, a radical white supremacist and one of the most elusive criminals in many years.

Despite his reluctance, Sam had been scheduled to conduct five of these seminars around the country. Hed already completed the first in D.C., and this one in Chicago was the second. Next week he would fly to Seattle for the third and then on to Los Angeles. His final stop would be at the naval base in San Diego where he would address Navy SEAL trainees. Inwardly, he groaned at the thought of three more appearances in front of inquisitive audiences who wanted only to hear sensational details of the capture.

This particular audience, however, also wanted to hear how Sam, while helping out on another case, saved the life of Alec Buchanan, a local Chicago FBI agent. The incident had happened six weeks ago, and since then, a few stories had been circulating. Agent Buchanan had been on medical leave, so they werent able to get any facts from him. Before Sam was introduced to the crowd, he had been warned about their curiosity and the questions he might face. Was it true Agent Kincaid had gone into a blazing house to get Buchanan? How many gunmen were in the house when hed broken in? Had he carried Buchanan out seconds before the house exploded?

What happened was a matter of public record. Sam still didnt want to go into it, but now that he stood at the podium, he was trapped by a group who wanted all the gory details.

Yet the first question Sam was asked had nothing to do with the Chester case or Alec Buchanan. It was the same one that was asked almost every time Sam was introduced. Agent Kincaid, I couldnt help but notice your accent. Is it Scottish? a female cadet asked.

Yes it is. Sam was accustomed to peoples curiosity about his background, and so his answer was polite but brief.

How is that possible?

He smiled. Im from Scotland, and thats probably why I have a bit of an accent.

The cadet blushed. Not wanting to embarrass her, Sam continued, What you really want to know is how someone from Scotland could become an FBI agent, right?

Yes, sir.

I have dual citizenship, he explained. I was born in the United States, but I was raised in the Highlands of Scotland. I did my undergraduate work at Princeton, my postgraduate work at Oxford, then moved to D.C. to get my law degree. I started with the FBI just after I passed the bar.

Sam evaded disclosing anything more about his personal life by calling on another eager cadet whose hand was raised, and for the next twenty minutes he was bombarded with questions.

Toward the end of Sams lecture, Agent Alec Buchanan and his FBI partner, Jack MacAlister, slipped into the room and took seats near the rear door. Alec, still recovering from the wound to his back, shifted forward to find a comfortable position. Neither federal agent had seen Sam for a few weeks, but during the time they had spent with him in D.C., hed become a good friend.

Jack leaned toward Alec to whisper. He really hates doing this, doesnt he?

Alec grinned. Yeah, he does.

We ought to mess with him a little bit.

What have you got in mind?

I could raise my hand and ask him a couple of questions about his sex life.

Alec laughed. A woman in front of him turned around to glare but changed her mind when she saw him. Instead, she smiled.

Jack lowered his voice again. How long is Sam going to be in Chicago? I forgot to ask when I picked him up at the airport.

Two nights. Hes staying with Regan and me, but I had to promise him that my wife wouldnt cry all over him again.

Giving an understanding nod, Jack said, Shes a crier all right.

I believe your fiance shed a few tears at the hospital.

True, he admitted. Will Sam join our poker game tomorrow night?

Thats the plan.

Can he play?

I sure hope not.

Man, listen to that brogue. Hes really miserable up there. Should we save him?

Alec took a second to watch Sam, who was turning from one questioner to another, and replied, Nah.

The two agents thoroughly enjoyed watching Sam squirm in the limelight. Although he looked composed, it was apparent he was nervous because his Scottish brogue got thicker with each sentence he uttered. Alec also noticed that, during his lecture, Sam never used the word I when describing his accomplishments. He was humble, self-effacing, and impressive. As Alec had discovered firsthand, Sam was also as hard as steel and as unfeeling as a machine when it was necessary.

Sam was a skilled agent, proficient in gathering intelligence and carrying out missions, but his real expertise was in languages. Truth be told, the only languages he couldnt translate were those he hadnt been exposed to. As he had explained to the cadet who was curious about his accent, most of his childhood was spent in Scotland. What he had not mentioned was the fact that, as the son of career diplomats, he had either lived in or traveled to almost every country of the world. Languages came to him easily.

It was this linguistic proficiency that had saved Alec Buchanans life.

The Chicago office had sent Alec and Jack to D.C. to follow a lead on a suspected arms dealer. A low-level informant was ready to give them the names of men who, for a price, could help them. While Jack headed off to get background information on a couple of people, Alec planned to make contact with the informant to gain his trust. There was no guarantee that anything would come from the meeting, but the D.C. office insisted on sending along audio equipment to record the conversation anyway. And even though the informant spoke some English, they thought it would be prudent to have a translator on hand.

What was supposed to be a quick meet-and-greet turned into a nightmare.

Sam Kincaid happened to be in the D.C. headquarters at the time finishing a case report. He was reading the last page on the computer screen when the director called him into his office. He asked Sam for a favor. An agent from Chicago was in town to question a possible informant, the director explained, and the translator, who was sitting in a van a block away from the house where they were meeting, was having difficulty.