Instead of lounging in the luxury of her Atlanta home, Josie opens her eyes to find herself in a mental hospital with no memory of how she got there. Why won't they let her leave? Why do they think she's dangerous? And why does everyone insist on calling her "Michelle"? Only one man believes that the beautiful imprisoned patient is Josephine Ferrell -- a doctor, William Hayes, who's willing to risk his career and his safety to help her escape. Spiriting the frightened young woman to a temporary sanctuary, they join forces in a desperate hunt for answers, keeping one step ahead of an intensive police manhunt for a missing patient they believe is a cold-blooded murderer.

National bestselling author Adrianne Byrd has always preferred to live within the realms of her imagination-where all the men are gorgeous and the women are worth whatever trouble they manage to get into. As an army brat, she traveled throughout Europe and learned to appreciate and value different cultures. Now, she calls Georgia home. Her first novel in 1997 received rave reviews by Romantic Times and fans. Her other novels were consistently selected as the magazine's Top Pick. In 2001, Slam Jam nominated Say You Love Me for best romance. Ms. Byrd has been featured in many national publications, including Today's Black Woman, Upscale, and Heart and Soul. She has also won local awards for screenwriting. In the future, she looks forward to continue creating characters that make people smile, laugh, and fall in love.

Deadly Double

Chapter One

"Kidnapping is a federal offense," Dr. William Hayes muttered into the dark October night. From the stolen laundry van, he took a deep breath and wished like hell he had a cigarette. Maybe a jolt of nicotine would stop hishands from shaking.

A pair of headlights beamed in his rearview mirror. Frightened, William tensed as his breath hitched in anticipation of the Atlanta police. A momentlater, he slumped against the headrest when a car traveled past him.

Keystone Mental Institute loomed in his side view mirror. "I've lost it," he mumbled, then reached for the glove compartment. In the back of his mind, he held the crazy thought that a pack of Benson & Hedges would magically appear. Even that didn't make sense -- he'd stopped smoking years ago.

William removed his white cap and ran a shaky hand through his dark hair, then met his blue gaze in the rearview mirror. "You're going tojail," he told himself. The traffic light turned green, and he took a left out of the hospital's parking lot.

The white uniform was a little too snug for his liking, and the glue from his fake beard itched like crazy, but right now he had to force both to theback of his mind.

His anxieties mounted as he caught every red light in a two-mile stretch. Fulton County also seemed to be crawling with police cars. The pressureto obey the speed limit was intense.

A soft moan floated from the back of the van. Was she waking up? "Dear God, not now." He instinctively glanced back, fearful of what he might see, but relaxed when nothing met his gaze.

A horn blared.

He jumped and eased off his brakes when he saw that the light had turned green. The car behind him moved into the left lane and flew past him.

"Another cop car." He shook his head and had a devil of a time convincing himself that it wasn't an omen.

Thirty minutes later, he pulled into the Oil Drop repair shop and drove to where the cars, vans, and trucks were either waiting for repair or pickup.

William parked next to another Machemehl Cleaners' van, shut off the engine, and collapsed against the headrest. For a few minutes, all hecould do was listen to his heart pound against his rib cage.

Another moan accompanied a rustle of movement, and William was instantly alert. The night was a long way from being over and, if he wantedit to end without the click of handcuffs, he needed to get on the ball.

He unhooked his seat belt and rushed to the back of the van. In a large roll-away tub of clean sheets, William stared down at the druggedwoman he'd just snatched from Keystone.

Silvery moonlight streamed through the back square windows and gave the caramel beauty's sickly pallor an angelic glow. Then again, maybehe still viewed her through the eyes of a lovesick twenty-one-year-old.

He brushed away a thick lock of black hair in order to study her heart-shaped face and smooth cheekbones. Sixteen years had done little tochange her features ... and her effect on him.

A barrage of tender emotions attacked his conscience, but he pushed them all aside and focused on the task at hand. He leaned over and checkedher vitals.

Her faint but steady pulse comforted him and gave him the courage to continue as planned. Inches from the tub, William retrieved his leatherduffel bag and quickly changed out of his white uniform and into loose jeans and a flannel shirt.

He glanced out the back windows and assured himself that the lot was empty before he opened the doors. When he did, a gush of cool air whipped inside. Another soft moan fell from his patient's lips, and William prayed the night's elements wouldn't further damage her condition.

Jumping down from the van, he rushed over to his parked Lincoln Navigator, tossed his duffel bag into the front passenger seat, and opened theback door. He quickly returned to the van and extracted his patient from the tub.

Her deadweight was a challenge, but he summoned the strength to carry her to his vehicle. The backseat was already prepared with clean sheetsand pillows, and he made quick work of getting her situated.

Another trip to the van, and he erased all evidence of his thievery, especially his masterful job of hot wiring. Who knew this rebellious teenageskill would come in handy again?

A few minutes later, he was on his way. The moaning increased in both duration and frequency and, again, William found himself worrying.

"We're on our way," he said. "Don't worry. It won't be long now."

More moaning.

Small droplets of rain splattered the windshield and quickly turned into a heavy downpour.

"This is not an omen," he recited with little conviction. He turned onto I-85 south and estimated that he would reach Pine Mountain in thenext half hour; but ten minutes into the drive, he rolled to a stop behind a long, curving line of traffic.

The moans transformed into restless whimpers, then finally "Josephine" was whispered from her cracked voice.

William's heart squeezed at the name. He turned in his seat to glance at the woman lying behind him ...

Deadly Double. Copyright © by Adrianne Byrd. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

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Excerpted from Deadly Double by Adrianne Byrd
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