Introduction

As a social worker, Alison Taylor has a passion for protecting children and seeing that justice is served on their behalf. But when she starts getting harassing phone calls and bizarre "gifts," it seems she may be the one in need of protection. When her tormentor's attentions take a violent turn, her brother Cole comes to her aid, along with his new partner, an ex-Navy SEAL, Detective Mitch Morgan. As her relentless stalker turns up the heat, Mitch takes a personal interest in the case. Protecting Alison has become more than just a job--because his own happiness now depends on keeping her safe.

Chock full of nail-biting suspense and heart-melting romance, Deadly Pursuit is Irene Hannon's storytelling at its very best. Fans old and new will not want to miss the next story in this series starring siblings fighting for justice.

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Excerpt

Heavy breathing.
That was all she could hear.
No voice.
No background noise.
Just a palpable presence on the other end of the line.
Again.
Despite the warmth of the early May breeze wafting through
her kitchen window, an icy shiver snaked down Alison Taylor’s
spine.
She glanced at the number displayed on caller ID. Compared
it to the one thumbtacked to the small corkboard beside her
phone. The one she’d jotted down after the second call.
It didn’t match. But it looked vaguely familiar.
She grabbed a pen and wrote down the new number.
“Who is this?” She tried to sound poised. Unruffled. In control.
But the tremor in her words betrayed her.
A sudden click as the line went dead was the only response.
I do not need this!
As she slammed the portable phone back into its holder,
a startled yelp at her feet summed up Bert’s reaction to her
frustrated—and futile—gesture.
Bending down to pick up the fourteen-pound mutt she’d
rescued from the animal shelter last summer, she winced as a
twinge of pain radiated down her leg. Lately she’d begun to forget about the steel rod inside. And that was a positive sign.
It meant her recovery was progressing. But moments like this
reminded her it wasn’t yet complete.
And maybe never would be.
As Bert wriggled and stretched his neck to lick her face, his
unrestrained affection helped chase away her sudden dejection—
and uncoil the knot of tension in the pit of her stomach.
“Missed me while I was at work, did you, big guy? How does
a walk sound on this beautiful St. Louis afternoon?”
The word walk set off another round of ecstatic slurping.
Chuckling, she set him on the floor again, moving more
carefully this time. “Okay, okay, I get the message. Let me grab
your leash and we’ll—”
The phone rang again, cutting her off midsentence.
Her heart stuttered, then tripped into double time as she
edged toward the counter to check caller ID. She should have
done that before answering the last call too. But Bert’s enthusiastic
welcome-home greeting had distracted her.
One glance at the display, however, set her mind at ease. Her
two brothers had a tendency to be annoyingly overprotective,
but she could handle them better than she was handling the
anonymous calls. Especially Cole.
Bert nudged her leg when she picked up the phone, and
she gave him a pat. “In a minute, big guy. Be patient.” As if. A
rueful grin tugged at her mouth. Bert had many virtues, but
patience wasn’t one of them.
“Hi, Cole.” She grabbed the leash draped over a coat hook
by the back door. “What’s up?”
“Not much. Just checking in. How’s my favorite sister?”
“I’d take that as a compliment, except I’m your only sister.”
“Are you evading my question?” Concern sharpened his tone.
She let out an exasperated sigh. “No. I was making a joke.
The accident was a year ago, Cole. I’m fine, as I keep telling
you and Jake. Although I have to say, our big brother hovers
less since he and Liz got engaged three weeks ago. Maybe I
need to find you a good woman too.”
“Very funny.”
“I’m serious. You’re thirty-five. You ought to have a wife
and family by now.”
“You’re thirty-four, as of a couple of weeks ago.”
She clicked the leash on Bert’s collar, fighting back a wave
of melancholy. If all had gone as she’d expected, she might
have been married by now—as they both knew. Instead, her
dreams of a husband and family had been shattered that fateful
night a year ago.
“Alison . . . I’m sorry.” Contrition and self-reproach etched
Cole’s words. “Sometimes I speak before I think.”
“No kidding.” She took a deep breath and lightened her
tone. “However, my experience with David is ancient history.
Besides, I have Bert now. Not a bad trade-off, if you ask me.”
Hearing his name, the dog gave her a hopeful look and began
vigorously wagging his stubby tail, his whole body quivering
in anticipation.
“Who wants to go for a walk, by the way.” Alison leaned
down to pat him again, favoring her bad leg. “So if there’s no
specific reason for your call other than to harass your little
sister . . .” She let the words trail off, preparing to hang up.
“Actually, I do have another reason.”
At the trace of nervousness in his voice, Alison’s antenna
went up. Her brothers rarely displayed even a hint of uneasiness.
As a deputy U.S. marshal, Jake was a take-charge kind of
guy—on and off the job. Cole wasn’t far behind. She’d been
the victim of his brother-to-sister interrogations on numerous
occasions, and she pitied the suspects who faced his official, onthe-
job grilling. Police detectives didn’t come any sharper—or
more relentless—than Cole Taylor.
When the silence lengthened, she prompted him. “You mentioned
another reason?”
“Right. Here’s the thing. Remember me telling you at your
birthday brunch that we were getting a new detective?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he started this week. Nice guy. My age. A former Navy SEAL. He’s spent the past four years with the NYPD—
two on the SWAT team, two as a detective. His name’s Mitch
Morgan.”
Silence fell again, and Alison frowned. Bert was tugging on
the leg of her slacks now, his initial excitement over the prospect
of a walk giving way to the necessity of a walk.
“Look, Cole, spit it out. Bert’s sending me an urgent message
here.”
“Could you let him out in the backyard?”
“Is this going to take that long?”
“It might.”
Huffing out a breath, Alison unclipped the leash and reached
for the doorknob. “Fine. But I have one disappointed dog here.
He was all geared up for a walk.” Bert shot out the instant she
opened the door and took off at a gallop for the nearest tree.
“Okay.” She swiveled back to the kitchen. “You have my
full attention. Continue.”
“First, promise you won’t say no right away.”
Uh-oh.
Alison knew where this was headed, and she had no intention
of going down that road again. “You’re not trying to fix
me up with this guy, are you?”
“Not for a lifetime. Just an evening.”
“Yeah? Are you willing to take a lie detector test on that?”
“Hear me out, okay? Can you do that much at least?”
Picking up on his frustration, she bit back the retort that
sprang to her lips. Cole’s efforts to shore up her social life
might be annoying, but they were well-intentioned.
“Sure. I can do that. As long as you know that when I decide
to date again, the man will be of my choosing. Not one of the
guys you and Jake have been trying to set me up with for the
past six months.”
“They were nice guys.”
“I can handle my own love life.”
“This isn’t about your love life. It’s about helping a guy out
for one night.”
... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. The Taylor siblings are very close-knit. Cite some specific examples from the book that demonstrate their bond. Why do you think some families are closer than others? What are some reasons siblings might not be close? How can parents help foster a similar closeness among their children? What role can faith play?

2. When Mitch’s father becomes ill, it’s a wake-up call for Mitch, and he re-prioritizes his life. Have you ever been through a similar life-changing experience? If so, why did it have such an impact?

3. Alison is very independent. So is Mitch’s father, Walt. Though both have suffered traumatic medical issues, neither wants to be fussed over, and both are loathe to disrupt the lives of the people they love. Has your independence ever been compromised? Describe how that made you feel. What are some steps caregivers and family members can take to help people like Alison or Walt without frustrating them?

4. Alison and Mitch feel an almost instant connection—and attraction. Has this ever happened to you? What are the dangers of acting too quickly on these kinds of feelings?

5. What qualities did you most admire in Alison? In Mitch? Cite some specific instances where they demonstrated these qualities.

6. As a Children’s Service worker, Alison is deeply committed to her work. Her clients recognize—and appreciate—that. As Nicole notes at one point, just knowing she had someone in her corner had given her the strength to tackle her problems. Why is it so important to know you have someone on your side? How does God fit into this picture?

7. When Daryl gets out of prison, he plans to start over. But his life once again begins to spiral out of control. Why did that happen? What mistakes did he make?

8. Daryl blames Alison for his problems rather than taking responsibility for his life. Why is that attitude so destructive? Have you seen examples of this in your own circle of acquaintances? In society in general? If so, how has it been manifested? What has been the result?

9. Mitch has trouble reconciling a loving God with the injustice in the world. Alison counters by saying that she believes God can bring a greater good out of every instance of suffering and evil if we trust him. Do you believe that? How do you grapple with this dichotomy? What counsel does scripture offer?

10. In Deadly Pursuit, we see how meth addiction has affected the lives of four characters. Why do you think people turn to drugs, even though they recognize their destructiveness? Why did Daryl succumb to that lure? What could he have done to produce a different outcome?

11. Bev is a fairly minor character in the book, but she plays a pivotal role. At one point, talking about her stage experience, she says, “It’s like nothing exists except this made-up world, where you can be somebody else. That’s what I wanted to do all the time. Be somebody else.” What does this comment say about her? What factors in her background might have led her to her current life?

12. Erik is another key secondary character. What did you think about him? Have you ever known anyone with Down syndrome? Do you think the problems Erik experienced—people ignoring him or treating him in a demeaning manner—are common for those with disabilities? How do you feel when dealing with such people? Do you find it awkward or uncomfortable? Why?

13. Who was your favorite character in the book? Why?

14. Who was the most interesting character for you? Why?

15. Did you find Deadly Pursuit suspenseful? Did you think the plot was well constructed and the characters believable? Talk about your impressions of the book from a literary standpoint—its strengths and weaknesses. If you were the author, would you have done anything differently?

from the publisher

Weblinks

»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Author Irene Hannon's Official Web Site
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