title: Defending Everly
author: Stoker, Susan
description: A Wall Street Journal bestseller.
  
  The stakes are personal, hot, and dangerous in New York Times bestselling author Susan Stoker's riveting Mountain Mercenaries novel.
  
  As tough as Everly Adams may be, the Colorado Springs SWAT officer is near a breaking point. Her fifteen-year-old half sister, Elise, has disappeared from Los Angeles without a trace, and the window to find her is closing fast. Committed to the search is Mountain Mercenary Kannon “Ball” Black. He and Everly already have a history -- of rubbing each other the wrong way.
  Still, Everly has to admit the man is heart-stopping. His brash alpha swagger takes her breath away. And most importantly, as a former Coast Guard first responder, Ball has what it takes to bring Elise home.
  
  Nobody's buying the LAPD's “runaway” theory. And the fear that Elise is the victim of a human trafficking ring is a gut-punch that Everly and Ball can't ignore. If only the trail were that clear cut. Because the one they're following is more insidious and intimately dark than they could have imagined.
  
  Now as the bond between Everly and Ball grows stronger, so does the heat. And as the stakes rise, so does the danger.