“Guarded by the Soldier” by Laura Scott

 

 

 

Welcome to Friday Reads!

 

 

I'm participating in the blog tour for Guarded by the Soldier by Laura Scott. Thanks for stopping by to learn about the book and read an excerpt. Click To Tweet

 

About the book…

He’ll put his life on the line…

If it means protecting a little boy and his pregnant mom.

After months of searching, security expert Ryker Tillman finally finds Olivia Habush and her young son—just as they are attacked by armed mercenaries. Now safeguarding Olivia, her unborn child and little Aaron is the former special ops soldier’s new mission. But to save the family burrowing into his heart, Ryker must figure out why someone wants them dead…

 

Excerpt…

A thud woke Olivia from a sound sleep. Had someone fallen? She pried open her eyes and peered at the cheap alarm clock on the nightstand.

Two in the morning. She glanced down at Aaron who was curled next to her. The noise hadn’t woken him.

Another thud and a muffled shout sent fear spiking through her body. What in the world was going on?

She slid out of bed, steadying herself with a hand on the wall. Her bladder urged her toward the bathroom, but before she could take a step, she heard a sharp report.

A gunshot?

No! Please, Lord, help us! She bent over and scooped Aaron into her arms, although she wasn’t sure where to go or what to do. Where was Ryker? Duncan? Mike?

She had no weapon of any sort. Not that she’d know what to do with one anyway. There was a bathroom within the suite, so she went inside, locked the door and glanced around, her thoughts whirling.

The Blake-Moore Group must have found her. Again. She wanted to cry, to rant and scream in frustration, but forced herself to swallow the cries burning the back of her throat.

Think. Think! Her gaze landed on the toilet. The motel hadn’t been updated in years, and the toilet tank was similar to the one she had at home, with a heavy ceramic cover on it.

“Mommy?” Aaron raised his head, rubbing at his eyes. “Shh. We have to be quiet.” Olivia set him down in the bathtub, the safest place she could think of. “Stay here, okay?”

“I don’t wanna.” His lower lip trembled and she was very much afraid that he’d begin wailing at any moment.

She lifted her heart in prayer. God, please protect us! “Mommy?” Her son lifted his arms toward her, his gaze begging.

“Shh. Please, Aaron. I need you to be quiet. We don’t want the bad guys to find us.” She hated scaring him but was more worried about what would happen if he cried loud enough to draw attention. She quickly lifted the heavy porcelain cover off the tank and held it over her head, positioning herself behind the door.

If anyone came inside, she’d whack him over the head, hopefully with enough force to knock him unconscious.

Time passed in slow motion. The noises coming from the main suite area concerned her. What if something happened to Mike and Duncan?

To Ryker?

Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest and her arm muscles quivered beneath the weight of the toilet tank lid. She blinked back tears, trying to convince herself that Ryker would survive.

That they would all survive.

“Olivia? Are you in there?” Ryker’s familiar voice made her knees go weak.

Thank You, God!

“Yes, we’re in the bathroom.” She lowered the lid of the toilet tank and moved out from behind the door. After getting the tank cover back in place, she opened the door, grateful beyond belief to see Ryker standing there. “What happened? Is everyone all right?”

“Yeah, but we need to hit the road.” His face was drawn into tight lines, his gaze grim. “Now.”

“They found us?” Silly question, since she knew they must have. “How?”

Ryker slowly shook his head. “They must have followed us. I didn’t see them, but they must have had a line on our vehicle. Get your things together.”

“Okay.” She didn’t need to be told twice. She quickly used the bathroom, then carried Aaron back into the bedroom. Her zebra bag was in the main living space, and she only had the one set of clothes, so there wasn’t any-thing to grab other than Aaron’s plastic lion and toy plane.

When she stepped into the suite, she stopped abruptly, her gaze landing on the two men dressed in black lying on the floor. One of them was bleeding badly; the other didn’t show any signs of blood.

 

Purchase links…

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/guarded-by-the-soldier-laura-scott/1135512737?ean=9781335402929

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082P47GBM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Google: https://books.google.ca/books/about/Guarded_by_the_Soldier.html?id=ALnDDwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y

Indie Bound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335402929

Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781488061233_guarded-by-the-soldier.html

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49374502-guarded-by-the-soldier

 

 

Laura Scott is honored to write for the Love Inspired Suspense line, where a reader can find a heartwarming journey of faith amid the thrilling danger. She lives with her husband of twenty-five years and has two children, a daughter and a son, who are both in college. She works as a critical-care nurse during the day at a large level-one trauma center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and spends her spare time writing romance. Visit Laura at www.laurascottbooks.com.

Where to find Laura online…

• Author website: https://www.laurascottbooks.com/
• Author newsletter: https://www.laurascottbooks.com/contact
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurascottbooks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraScottBooks/
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16591802.Laura_Scott