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PRAISE FOR LAURA GRIFFIN AND HER NOVELS

“Gritty, imaginative, sexy! You must read Laura Griffin.”

—New York Times bestselling author Cindy Gerard

“Top-notch romantic suspense! Fast pace, tight plotting, terrific mystery, sharp dialogue, fabulous characters.”

—New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan

“A gripping, white-knuckle read. You won’t be able to put it down.”

—New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak

“An emotional, exciting page-turner. Griffin deftly balances the mystery and the love story.”

—The Washington Post

“Griffin never disappoints with her exciting, well-researched, fast-paced romantic thrillers.”

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A high-adrenaline thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. . . . Griffin is a master.”

—Fresh Fiction

Titles by Laura Griffin

Standalone Novels

FAR GONE

LAST SEEN ALONE

The Texas Murder Files

HIDDEN

FLIGHT

The Tracers Series

UNTRACEABLE

UNSPEAKABLE

UNSTOPPABLE

UNFORGIVABLE

SNAPPED

TWISTED

SCORCHED

EXPOSED

BEYOND LIMITS

SHADOW FALL

DEEP DARK

AT CLOSE RANGE

TOUCH OF RED

STONE COLD HEART

The Wolfe Security Series

DESPERATE GIRLS

HER DEADLY SECRETS

The Alpha Crew Series

AT THE EDGE

EDGE OF SURRENDER

COVER OF NIGHT

TOTAL CONTROL

ALPHA CREW: THE MISSION BEGINS

The Glass Sisters Series

THREAD OF FEAR

WHISPER OF WARNING

The Borderline Series

ONE LAST BREATH

ONE WRONG STEP

The Moreno & Hart Mysteries, with Allison Brennan

CRASH AND BURN

HIT AND RUN

FROSTED

LOST AND FOUND

Dedication

For Kerry

CHAPTER ONE

He was late, and she shouldn’t have been surprised.

Vanessa buzzed down the window a few inches and cut the engine. Crisp, piney air seeped into the car, along with the faint scent of someone’s campfire. She checked her phone. Nothing. She settled back in her seat to wait.

Her headlights illuminated a clump of trees—spindly fresh ones, along with the pointed gray spires that had burned years ago. She looked at the stars beyond the treetops. Once upon a time, she’d stretched out on a patch of grass not far from here with Cooper, gazing up at the sky and trying to pick out constellations. Orion. Leo. The Big Dipper. The memory seemed strange. Fanciful. Everything like that was gone now, replaced by a dull ache that never went away. Her emotions felt like tar, thick and heavy in her veins, and even swinging her legs out of bed required effort.

Yet here she was.

She was sick of the dread in her stomach. She was sick of being a silent bystander in her own life.

Vanessa eyed the bottle of Jim Beam peeking out from beneath the passenger seat. She reached for it and checked her phone again before twisting off the cap.

Late, late, late.

She took a swig. The bourbon burned the back of her throat, but then she felt a warm rush of courage. She could do this.

Headlights, high and bright, flashed into her rearview mirror. Her shoulders tensed as she listened to the throaty sound of the approaching truck. It pulled up behind her and the lights went dark.