Cover

Praise for the novels of

Lexi Blake

“I love Lexi Blake. Read Ruthless and see why.”

—New York Times bestselling author Lee Child

“Smart, savvy, clever, and always entertaining. That’s true of Riley Lawless, the hero in Ruthless, and likewise for his creator, Lexi Blake. Both are way ahead of the pack.”

—New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry

“A must-read! Lexi Blake is a master!”

—New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst

“The love story that develops will touch the hearts of fans. . . . A welcome and satisfying entry into the Lawless world.”

—RT Book Reviews

Titles by Lexi Blake

THE BUTTERFLY BAYOU NOVELS

Butterfly Bayou

THE COURTING JUSTICE NOVELS

Order of Protection

Evidence of Desire

THE LAWLESS NOVELS

Ruthless

Satisfaction

Revenge

THE PERFECT GENTLEMEN NOVELS

(with Shayla Black)

Scandal Never Sleeps

Seduction in Session

Big Easy Temptation

Dedication

For Kim, who knows what it means to be on the bayou . . .

prologue

DALLAS, TEXAS

Lila Daley forced her hands to stop shaking. She wasn’t this person. She wasn’t the person whose hands shook. Who stammered or couldn’t speak in the face of tragedy. She stared straight ahead and her logical mind understood where she was. She was in the waiting room of the ER she’d worked at for years. But when she blinked, the scene changed and all she could see was blood and bodies and the careful walls she’d built shuddering and crashing around her.

“Lila?”

She looked up and her brother was standing there. Her brother. For much of her life Will had been the person she looked up to. Their childhood had been all about staying together, keeping their family intact in the wake of their mother’s chaos. Will and Laurel and Lisa. They’d been her whole world for the longest time.

“Yes?”

Will dropped to one knee, his face creased with concern. “The police are asking about taking a statement. I think you need some rest. You can do this tomorrow. I’m going to send them away.”

And then she would have to deal with the problem in the morning. Then she would have to know it was still waiting for her, still sitting there and wanting attention. She managed to shake her head, forcing a calm she didn’t feel. “Don’t. I would rather get this over with. I have to be at work in eight hours.”

It was the weekend. She couldn’t miss work. The crazies came out on the weekend. And the team was down one because . . .

The team was down one because Maryanne was dead. The team was down one because someone had walked into the ER and shot her friend. Lila was used to having blood on her. Trauma nurses weren’t squeamish about blood.

But this was Maryanne’s blood.

Trauma nurses weren’t squeamish about death.

But she’d watched as the light had faded from Maryanne’s eyes.