Mr. Nice Spy (11 page)

Coming soon from Jordan McCollum

Canada is probably the last place you’d expect to find an American spy. But even idyllic Ottawa has its deadly secrets—and so does CIA operative Talia Reynolds. She can climb through ventilation shafts, blend in at the occasional diplomatic function, even scale buildings (small ones). But there’s one thing she can’t do: tell her aerospace engineer boyfriend Danny about her Top Secret occupation.

It worked for a year, keeping Danny in the dark, keeping him away from danger, keeping her secrets. And then Talia finally catches a hot case: Fyodor Timofeyev. Russian. Aerospace executive. Possible spy?

She can make this work, too—until Danny needs her at the same time her country does. And when Fyodor targets Danny? Suddenly her schedule isn’t the only thing suffering. Now to save her secrets and her country, Talia must sacrifice the man she loves.

Canada is probably the last place you’d expect to find an American spy. And it was the last place CIA operative Talia Reynolds expected to run into her fellow operative Brand Copley. A.k.a. her ex-boyfriend. A.k.a. her new boss.

After he steals Talia’s latest case and newest agent, Brand assigns her to spy on her old boss — her old boss who’s trying to recruit her fiancé Danny to the CIA. With only weeks until her wedding, planning falls by the wayside as she goes into damage control mode. But when Talia discovers Brand’s real plan, fighting him is the only option, no matter what the personal and professional cost.

As always, my first and deepest thanks must go to my husband Ryan and our children, Hayden, Rebecca, Rachel and Hazel. They've supported me through all the demands of writing. (And I love you all for it!)

Again, my first editors, my parents, Ben and Diana Franklin, have taught me to love reading and writing from a young age, and along with my sisters Jaime, Brooke and Jasmine, they have believed in and encouraged me. My friends Sarah Anderson, Kim Tran and Erin Brown have also supported my writing for more than a decade.

My critique partners, Julie Coulter Bellon and Emily Gray Clawson, have helped and encouraged me, with this novella and always. Kierstin Marquet provided invaluable feedback about the workings of an embassy. Diana Franklin (a.k.a. Mom) and Gail Zuniga were gracious enough to beta read, and Jenn Wilks not only edited this novella on extremely short notice, but she also did a phenomenal job! Sarah Anderson made time for a final readthrough before it was ready to go.

And of course, thanks go to you, my reader, for making my characters come to life for more than just me.

Thank you!

PHOTO BY JAREN WILKEY

An award-winning author, Jordan McCollum can’t resist a story where good defeats evil and true love conquers all. In her day job, she coerces people to do things they don’t want to, elicits information and generally manipulates the people she loves most—she’s a mom.

Jordan holds a degree in American Studies and Linguistics from Brigham Young University. When she catches a spare minute, her hobbies include reading, knitting and music. She lives with her husband and four children in Utah.