She takes my hand, gives it a loving squeeze, and starts to gently propel me back to the place I love most.

“Come on,” she says, “I’ll lend a hand … if you want.”

I squeeze her hand hard.

“I want,” I say. “Very, very much.”

Are you a fan of fast-paced, gripping thrillers set in the American Deep South?

If so, you’ll love …

TEXAS RANGER

Officer Rory Yates has paid the price for his ambition. He rose quickly through the ranks of the Texas Ranger division, but his commitment to the badge cost him his marriage. And when his ex-wife is brutally murdered, Rory’s life descends into chaos as he is named a suspect.

To clear his name, his only choice is to find the killer himself. His job, his reputation and his life are on the line.

Discover this stand-alone thriller with an extract

Out now in paperback

CHAPTER 1

I push my boot against the gas pedal, and the needle on the speedometer surges past one hundred miles an hour. The Ford’s lights are flashing and sirens are howling, but I’m going so fast that I’m on top of the pickup in front of me before the driver even knows I’m there. I make a move to pass him, pulling into the oncoming lane, but there’s a semi headed toward me like a freight train. I don’t back down. I jam on the gas and yank my F-150 back into my lane, missing the semi and the pickup by inches. Horns blare and brakes screech behind me. I’m sure the two drivers are having heart attacks.

Right now, I can’t let myself care. My heart is thumping like a bass drum. But I keep my hands steady.

I grab my radio and call the local dispatcher.

“This is Rory Yates of the Texas Ranger Division,” I say. “I need backup.”

I give the dispatcher my badge number and the address where I’m headed. She says she has no patrol cars in the vicinity. The closest one is twenty minutes out.

That’s bad news because I’ll be there in two.

The whole reason I’ve been working down in McAllen, a border town on the southern tip of Texas, is that I had to rush into another situation with no backup. When it’s your word against a dead man’s, there’s always a lot of controversy and scrutiny—and media attention.

My division chief sent me to a hotbed of drug and human trafficking.

If this situation also goes south without any witnesses to corroborate my story, that won’t help my chances of returning to my old post.

But I can’t wait. There’s a woman who might be dead by the time backup arrives.

Hell, she might be dead before I even get there.