Seattle after Midnight

Seattle after Midnight
C.J. Carmichael

A dozen roses…then you'll be mineGeorgia Lamont, host of a late-night radio show in Seattle, is used to secret admirers. Her sultry voice gets lonely hearts through the night–especially during the holiday season. But this note–stuck to a single rose–has her spooked. Then you'll be mine. Georgia doesn't like the sound of that.And neither does private investigator Pierce Harding, one of Georgia's fans. When she asks for his help, Pierce is amazed by his reaction to Georgia, who is more homespun innocent than sexy vixen. He's always been all business and kept his emotions under control, but as the letters get more threatening, Pierce has trouble maintaining his distance. His head is telling him to treat Georgia like a client. His heart is telling him something else….

What was he doing here?

Pierce stopped his car, realizing that he’d ended up outside the office complex that housed KXPG Radio. Every night he felt as if Georgia was speaking directly to him, when in fact she was reaching out to thousands. He was nuts to believe any sort of connection existed between them.

Georgia shared a final bit of poetry before signing off. Pierce had no interest in the radio after that, preferring silence to the insipid programming that followed Seattle after Midnight.

He eyed the parking lot and wondered which of the handful of vehicles sitting there at five in the morning belonged to Georgia. Oh, for Pete’s sake. Just go home, would you?

He didn’t. And fifteen minutes later his tenacity was rewarded as a woman who could only be Georgia dashed out of the building. The security guard had held the outer door open for her and continued to watch after her as she raced for her car. Pierce opened his window in time to hear her call out, “Thanks, Monty. I’m fine.”

The security guard waved, then returned to his post. No sooner had the door swung shut behind him than Georgia let out a scream.

Dear Reader,

Have you ever been awake at night when everyone—almost the entire world, it seems—is asleep? The world looks different in the dark, doesn’t it? It feels different, too. Somehow our fears, anxieties and insecurities seem to thrive in the shadows.

The late-night radio host understands the world of the dark. She knows about insomniacs, shift workers and night owls. With carefully selected music and her own specially chosen words, she reaches through the night and makes connections with these people.

Georgia Lamont is the host of Seattle after Midnight. She has a talent for connecting with her listeners. But what happens when she makes a connection with the wrong person? This is the question I asked myself when I began to write this story. But even as I began to explore the sinister side of the night, another question formed in my mind.

What happens when she makes a connection with the right person—someone who needs her as much as she needs him?

I hope you enjoy this story. If you would like to write or send e-mail, I would be delighted to hear from you through my Web site at www.cjcarmichael.com. Or send mail to #1754-246 Stewart Green, S.W., Calgary, Alberta, T3H 3C8, Canada.

Sincerely,

C.J. Carmichael

Seattle after Midnight

C.J. Carmichael

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

The author would like to thank her friend,

audiophile Mike Fitzpatrick, for being her music consultant

for this project and for introducing her

to the bliss of Kenny Rankin.

Christina Rowsell (host of Christina After Dark),

thank you for your generosity in inviting me to your studio,

answering my questions and introducing me to the

fascinating, multitasking, crazy world of radio.

For my brother Phil

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER ONE

“IT’S AFTER MIDNIGHT, Seattle. You know what that means, don’t you?”