PRAISE FOR MARY BURTON

BURN YOU TWICE

“Burton does a good job balancing gentle romance with high-tension suspense.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Scorching action. The twists and turns keep the reader on the edge of their seat as they will not want to put the novel down.”

—Crimespree Magazine

HIDE AND SEEK

“Burton delivers an irresistible, tension-filled plot with plenty of twists . . . Lovers of romantic thrillers won’t be disappointed.”

—Publishers Weekly

CUT AND RUN

“Burton can always be counted on for her smart heroines and tightly woven plots.”

—For the Love of Books

“Must-read romantic suspense . . . Burton is a bona fide suspense superstar. And her books may be peppered with enough twists and turns to give you whiplash, but the simmering romance she builds makes for such a compelling, well-rounded story.”

—USA Today’s Happy Ever After

THE SHARK

“This romantic thriller is tense, sexy, and pleasingly complex.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Precise storytelling complete with strong conflict and heightened tension are the highlights of Burton’s latest. With a tough, vulnerable heroine in Riley at the story’s center, Burton’s novel is a well-crafted, suspenseful mystery with a ruthless villain who would put any reader on edge. A thrilling read.”

—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

BEFORE SHE DIES

“Will keep readers sleeping with the lights on.”

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

MERCILESS

“Burton keeps getting better!”

—RT Book Reviews

YOU’RE NOT SAFE

“Burton once again demonstrates her romantic-suspense chops with this taut novel. Burton plays cat and mouse with the reader through a tight plot, credible suspects, and romantic spice keeping it real.”

—Publishers Weekly

BE AFRAID

“Mary Burton [is] the modern-day queen of romantic suspense.”

—Bookreporter

ALSO BY MARY BURTON

Near You

Burn You Twice

Never Look Back

I See You

Hide and Seek

Cut and Run

Her Last Word

The Last Move

The Forgotten Files

The Shark

The Dollmaker

The Hangman

Morgans of Nashville

Cover Your Eyes

Be Afraid

I’ll Never Let You Go

Vulnerable

Texas Rangers

The Seventh Victim

No Escape

You’re Not Safe

Alexandria Series

Senseless

Merciless

Before She Dies

Richmond Series

I’m Watching You

Dead Ringer

Dying Scream

TITLE PAGE

COPYRIGHT PAGE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Text copyright © 2021 by Mary Burton

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Published by Montlake, Seattle

Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

ISBN-13: 9781542021456

ISBN-10: 1542021456

Cover design by Amanda Kain

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO