Talon's Touch — P.E. Sibley

The second year of their partnership finds Alex and Praed on the farming planet, Tallis, hunting for Talon, a particularly nasty but elusive terrorist. They have a lead: Randall Hamish, a drug dealer, has contacted Talon to help him clear the settlers off the planet. Posing as a convicted felon, Praed infiltrates Hamish's gang while Alex is sidelined in the farming settlement as his contact. When the meeting with Talon's second in command takes place, Praed learns there is more to the terrorist than anyone realizes. Then Hamish discovers Praed's deception, and Talon is anxious to take delivery of the operative as part of the deal with Hamish. With Praed's capture, Alex must choose: does she disobey Henry Davison's orders and go after Praed? Or does she wait for backup? Her decision made, she tricks Hamish into giving Praed to her, but that action precipitates a chain of events she doesn't anticipate, and the final outcome is shocking.