"Alexis Morgan - Dark Defender" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morgan Alexis)

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the authorтАЩs
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or
dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright ┬й 2006 by Patricia L. Pritchard
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 1-4165-3888-7
POCKET STAR BOOKS colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Visit us on the World Wide Web:
http://www.SimonSays.com
I would like to dedicate this book to my
friends at work, both past and present.
Think of all the childrenтАЩs lives you have
 touched with the gift of learning.
What could be better than that?

Acknowledgments
T o Janice Kay-JohnsonтАФyour friendship has been a true and generous gift in my life. Thank you for
daring me to write in the first place and then sticking by me through the roller coaster ride of each book
IтАЩve done. I would have never come this far without you.




Prologue
St. Louis, Missouri

D ad?тАЭ
Where had he disappeared to? Not ten minutes ago heтАЩd been looking through some papers, but
now his desk was cleaned off and there was no sign of him.
That was oddтАФtheyтАЩd planned to have lunch together to celebrate the release of her latest book.
Although heтАЩd been preoccupied all week, it wasnтАЩt like her father to forget something like that.
Then she heard the kitchen door slam. Brenna Nichols hurried toward the back door, and saw
him heading straight for his car.
Stepping out onto the back porch, she called, тАЬDad, where are you going?тАЭ
Clearly distracted, he paused to look back at her. Deep worry lines bracketed his attempt to
smile. тАЬSorry, Brenna, I should have told you. SomethingтАЩs come up, so I have to run into the office for a
while.тАЭ
тАЬArenтАЩt we having lunch?тАЭ
For a second he looked truly perplexed, which was even more alarming. This definitely wasnтАЩt like