{"product_id":"the-defiant-hero-isbn-9780804119535","title":"The Defiant Hero","description":"In The Unsung Hero, award-winning author Suzanne Brockmann dazzled readers with her remarkable cast of tough and tender U.S. Navy SEALs. Now her daring men in uniform return for THE DEFIANT HERO—a thrilling novel of steadfast courage, intimate passions, and the profound risks that are taken in the name of love. . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The United States refuses to negotiate with terrorists.\" Meg Moore remembered the warning from her job as a translator in a European embassy. Those same words will spell out a death sentence for her daughter and grandmother who have been kidnapped by a lethal group called the Extremists. Meg will do anything to meet their unspeakable demands; anything—even kill—to save her child.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Navy SEAL Lieutenant, junior grade, John Nilsson is summoned to Washington, D.C., by the FBI to help negotiate a hostage situation, the last person he expects to see holding a foreign ambassador at gunpoint is Meg. He hasn't seen her in years, but he's never forgotten how it feels to hold her in his arms. John could lose his career if he helps her escape. She will lose her life if he doesn't. . . . After childhood plans to become the captain of a starship didn’t pan out, \u003cb\u003eSuzanne Brockmann\u003c\/b\u003e took her fascination with military history, her respect for the men and women who serve, her reverence for diversity, and her love of storytelling and explored brave new worlds as a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling romance author. Over the past twenty years, she has written more than fifty novels, including her award-winning Troubleshooters series about Navy SEAL heroes and the women—and sometimes men—who win their hearts. In addition to writing books, Suzanne Brockmann has co-produced a feature-length movie, the award-winning romantic comedy \u003ci\u003eThe Perfect Wedding,\u003c\/i\u003e which she co-wrote with her husband, Ed Gaffney, and their son, Jason. She has also co-written a YA novel, set in the world of her paranormal Fighting Destiny series, with her daughter, Melanie. Find Suzanne Brockmann on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, and visit her website to find out more about upcoming releases and appearances. \u003cbr\u003eMeg didn't understand at first.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe man was smiling, and his pleasant expression and\u003cbr\u003etone of voice didn't match his words. \"We've taken your\u003cbr\u003edaughter hostage.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe was in the parking garage beneath her condo, hauling\u003cbr\u003ea box of files from the back of her car, when he approached\u003cbr\u003eher. She wasn't even a hundred feet away from Ramon, the\u003cbr\u003ebuilding's security guard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe smiling man must've seen the confusion in her eyes, be-cause\u003cbr\u003ehe said it again. In a Kazbekistani dialect. \"We have your\u003cbr\u003edaughter, and if you don't follow our orders, we'll kill her.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd this time, Meg understood. Amy. She dropped the box.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Everything okay over there, Ms. Moore?\" Ramon was\u003cbr\u003edown off his stool, starting toward them. There'd recently\u003cbr\u003ebeen a rape in another parking garage in this part of Washington,\u003cbr\u003eDC.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Tell him yes,\" the smiling man murmured, opening\u003cbr\u003ehis baseball jacket, giving her a flash of a very deadly\u003cbr\u003elooking gun.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOh, God. \"Where is she?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"If I don't make a phone call to my associates within the\u003cbr\u003enext hour, she's dead,\" he told her as he bent down to pick up\u003cbr\u003ethe box. \"My associates are Kazbekistani Extremists.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTerrorists. But not just regular terrorists. The Extremists\u003cbr\u003ewere religious zealots, capable of terrible violence and cruelty,\u003cbr\u003eall in the name of their god. And they had Amy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOh, God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Everything's fine,\" Meg called to the guard, her voice shaking\u003cbr\u003eonly slightly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We're old college friends.\" The man turned his friendly\u003cbr\u003esmile on Ramon. \"I thought I recognized Meggie. I didn't\u003cbr\u003emean to appear before her like the ghost of Christmas past,\u003cbr\u003ethough, and scare her half to death.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRamon's hand was on the gun holstered at his waist. He\u003cbr\u003esmiled politely, but his dark brown gaze was on Meg. \"Ms.\u003cbr\u003eMoore?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHelp.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe'd prepared for situations like this, back when she was\u003cbr\u003eworking at the American embassy in Kazbekistan, an Eastern\u003cbr\u003eEuropean country also know as K-stan or \"the Pit\" to\u003cbr\u003ethe Americans who served time there. During her stay, she\u003cbr\u003ewas reminded regularly that the United States didn't negotiate\u003cbr\u003ewith terrorists. The best solution was preventive--stay\u003cbr\u003esafe, stay secure, stay away from dangerous persons and\u003cbr\u003esituations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was a little late for that now--although who would have\u003cbr\u003ethought a K-stani terrorist would show up here in Washing-ton,\u003cbr\u003eall these years later?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeg knew what she should do in this situation. She\u003cbr\u003eshould enlist Ramon's help while this man held her box of\u003cbr\u003efiles, while his hands were full and he couldn't easily reach\u003cbr\u003efor his gun. She should be a strong American and refuse to\u003cbr\u003enegotiate with terrorists. She should seek help from the FBI.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWho, no matter how good they were, wouldn't be able to\u003cbr\u003efind her ten-year-old daughter within the next sixty minutes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter which time Amy would be killed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeg forced a smile. American be damned. She was playing\u003cbr\u003ethis one out as Amy's very frightened mother. \"It's all\u003cbr\u003eright, Ramon,\" she lied. \"We're . . . old friends.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"How about I carry this upstairs for you?\" The man continued\u003cbr\u003ethe charade. His English was remarkably good--he\u003cbr\u003ehad only the faintest of accents. \"We could talk about old\u003cbr\u003etimes over a cup of coffee.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Great.\" She smiled again at Ramon, who watched them\u003cbr\u003eall the way over to the elevators.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Where is she?\" Meg hissed from behind her frozen\u003cbr\u003esmile. \"Where's Amy? And what about my grandmother?\"\u003cbr\u003eAmy had planned to take her great-grandmother, Eve, to the\u003cbr\u003eSmithsonian while Meg picked up these files she'd been\u003cbr\u003ehired to translate. Meg hadn't been sure exactly who was the\u003cbr\u003ebaby-sitter--the ten-year-old or the seventy-five-year-old.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The old lady's your grandmother.\" He nodded as he\u003cbr\u003epressed the elevator's call button. \"I thought she was too old\u003cbr\u003eto be your mother. We've got her, too.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeg felt a rush of relief. At least Eve was with Amy. At\u003cbr\u003eleast Amy wasn't alone and terrified and . . . \"I don't under-stand.\u003cbr\u003eI'm not rich, and--\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We don't want your money.\" The elevator doors opened\u003cbr\u003eand he stood back, politely letting her on first--the perfect\u003cbr\u003eterrorist gentleman. \"We want you to do us a little favor.\"\u003cbr\u003eOh, God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You frequently do business at the Kazbekistani embassy\u003cbr\u003eacross town, right?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOh, mighty God. The doors slid closed, but she kept her\u003cbr\u003esmile in place. Ramon would be watching through the security\u003cbr\u003ecameras.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I only work as a consultant, a translator. It's never, I\u003cbr\u003enever . . .\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe pushed the button for twelve. Somehow this man she'd\u003cbr\u003enever seen before knew she and Amy lived on the twelfth\u003cbr\u003efloor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeg took a deep breath and tried again. \"Look, I'm not\u003cbr\u003eallowed into any areas inside the embassy that contain confidential\u003cbr\u003einformation or--\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We don't want you to spy for us. We already have an agent\u003cbr\u003ein place inside the embassy for that purpose.\" He laughed and\u003cbr\u003eit wasn't purely for the cameras. This man was enjoying him-self,\u003cbr\u003eamused by her fear.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA fear that morphed hotly into anger as she turned her\u003cbr\u003eback to the security camera. \"Then what do you want, damn\u003cbr\u003eit? How do I even know you've got Amy and Eve?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe elevator doors opened at the twelfth floor. He stepped\u003cbr\u003eback, again to let her go first. \"If you like, we'll send you the\u003cbr\u003eold lady's head in a box--\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"No!\" Oh, God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe laughed again. \"Then I guess you've just got to trust\u003cbr\u003eme, don't you, Meggie?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeg's hands were shaking so badly, she couldn't get her\u003cbr\u003ekey into the lock.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe shifted the box to one arm and a hip as he gently took\u003cbr\u003eher key ring from her, opened the door, and pushed her in-side,\u003cbr\u003efollowing her into her living room. \"I'm afraid I can't\u003cbr\u003ebe as trusting,\" he continued, setting her box next to the\u003cbr\u003ecouch. \"After we discuss strategy and negotiate terms, I'm\u003cbr\u003egoing to drive with you over to the embassy. I know it's after\u003cbr\u003efive, but there's a function tonight. Nothing formal. You can\u003cbr\u003ewear jeans. In fact, I want you to wear jeans. With those\u003cbr\u003eboots you have. What are they called? Cowboy boots. Or\u003cbr\u003eshould it be cowgirl boots?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Negotiate terms?\" Meg didn't give a damn what she\u003cbr\u003ewore. \"What terms?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Well, it's actually a pretty simple negotiation with only\u003cbr\u003eone or two minor points. But the bottom line is that if you\u003cbr\u003ewant to see your daughter and grandmother again, you'll do\u003cbr\u003ewhat we tell you to do. If you don't . . .\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I do.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Good.\" He crossed to the windows, pulled the curtains.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Once you're in the embassy, our inside agent will keep an\u003cbr\u003eeye on you. If you make any attempt to get help or to contact\u003cbr\u003ethe authorities at any time, we will kill your daughter. Have\u003cbr\u003eabsolutely no doubt about that.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis smile was gone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeg nodded. She didn't doubt him. After living and\u003cbr\u003eworking in Kazbekistan for years, she knew quite well what\u003cbr\u003ethe Extremists were capable of.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"What do you want me to do?\"","brand":"Ivy Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302680449253,"sku":"NP9780804119535","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780804119535.jpg?v=1742928631","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-defiant-hero-isbn-9780804119535","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}