Four years ago, Cooper Webb joined Payback, a shadowy organization run by a man who was once the heir to a criminal empire.  Like the other members of Payback, Cooper was given the chance to turn his life around by moving to the right side of the law. 

Now the time has come for Cooper to repay his debt to Payback by bringing another criminal to justice, but he never bargained on working with his own avenging angel...

"There's just something about a bad boy, isn't there?  Cooper Webb is a different kind of hero, one who doesn't even realize that he is a hero.  As I wrote this story, I discovered that Cooper does indeed have goodness in his heart, but oh, it's buried awfully deep.  Watching while his "angel," Hayley Tavistock, uncovered the man inside was an emotional journey.  Enjoy!!"

Ingrid

  fromRomantic Times

from The Romance Reader's Connection

fromCataRomance

The woman was lying on her stomach behind the cover of a lilac bush with the butt of a rifle tucked against her shoulder.  If it hadn't been for the rain gleaming from the gun barrel, Cooper wouldn't have spotted her.  He eased back a step, but she gave no sign that she was aware of his presence.  The night and the noise of the storm would have masked his approach.  On top of that, he could see that she was entirely focused on her target.

Cooper followed her gaze across the garden to the house on the far side of the lawn.  It was three stories high, built of brick and covered with ivy.  Light spilled from the first-floor windows, making them sparkle festively through the rain.  Figures moved inside, well-dressed people with champagne flutes in their hands.  Oliver Sproule was having a party.  Of course, he would be celebrating his acquittal.

The woman on the ground shifted, sliding her elbows along the mud beneath the shrub so she could press her right eye to the scope that was mounted on top of her weapon.  The gun barrel inched toward the thin, silver-haired man who had paused at the French doors that led to the terrace.

Even without the aid of a telescopic sight, Cooper recognized Oliver Sproule.  He was smiling as he lifted his glass to a cluster of people, oblivious to the threat that lay in the darkness less than thirty yards away.  He'd been released this morning.  He must be savoring his freedom.

Cooper knew how that felt.  Almost four years had passed since he'd been let out, but he remembered that first, sweet breath of free air.  Cooper had partied, too, but it sure hadn't been in a mansion with fancy people and champagne.

Thunder growled in the distance.  A sudden gust of wind sent needles of rain through the garden.  A fragrant burst of lilac blossoms, ghostly pale in the dimness, showered the woman's back.  She didn't appear to notice.  She curled her finger around the trigger.  "You murdering bastard," she said.  "How dare you smile?"

The way Cooper saw it, he had two choices.  He could jump her and grab the rifle before she took her shot.  Or he could turn around and walk away.

It would be simpler to walk.  It sure as hell would make his task easier.  She was aiming at Oliver.  With that high-powered weapon from this range, even a novice would be deadly.  If Cooper let her follow through, he could consider justice done.  His debt would be paid.  He could forget about this crazy quest Tony had chosen for him and pick up his life where he'd left off.

Sure, why not leave now?  Nothing was stopping him from working his way back to his truck and letting this woman finish her business.  What happened to her afterward wasn't his problem.  No one would have to know he had been here.

Rain dripped from the rifle, from the woman's hands and the curve of her cheek.  The sound of a sob mingled with the noise of the storm.

A woman armed with a gun was dangerous enough.  A crying woman was even worse.

And hell.  What if she missed?
 

THE ANGEL AND THE OUTLAW, Ingrid Weaver, Silhouette IM, March 2005 ISBN 037327422X