Eric Stiles was in the middle of chaos, searching for a killer.
Hunted by an obsessed psychopath, Rebecca Gailen was trying to be strong.
The world stopped for a moment as they looked up and saw the other standing just feet away.
His heart lurched, her armor shattered and the world started again as Eric's brother, Charlie, appeared to take her hand.
Family loyalty isn't a choice. When Rebecca's stalker rages out of control, Eric's decision haunts him and he struggles to stay away. Can he remain loyal to his brother, even if it means abandoning Rebecca when she may need him the most?
Eric managed to get a few hours sleep in the cage
before he was needed back in the bullpen. He was finding it more and more
difficult to push her out of his mind. He went to get some coffee.
“Stiles,” Lug said, breaking through his churning
thoughts.
“Hey, what’s up?” he replied as he grabbed is
full cup of coffee.
“Trace on the box of blood came back,” Lug said.
Eric walked to his desk. “And?”
“They found a piece of hair in the box sealant.”
“Were they able to get a name?”
“Yeah,” Lugow started. Eric looked down at his
desk in hesitation. “It came as a match to a Veronica Naltin.”
Eric froze, the name hitting him in the chest.
“What?”
“Yeah.” Eric took a deep breath. “We double
checked. There’s no mistake.”
“Jesus,” He leaned on the desk, his mind spinning
uncontrolled.
Adam appeared and looked at him. “You told him?”
“Yeah.”
“So now what?” Eric asked. He tried to reign in
the fear that began to bubble in his stomach. They were not only dealing with a
stalker, but now a ruthless killer.
“We start from the beginning,” Adam said as Lug
nodded. “We look at everything from both cases.”
“We should look at anything that’s happened since
this guy made first contact with Rebecca,” Lug suggested.
“Do we have a date?”
“The only specific date I have is two weeks
before the teddy bear,” Lug replied as he looked at his notes. “I will try and
get something more specific.”
“Where is she now?”
“Donna’s,” he said with a deep breath.
“Is she going to be safe there?”
“She’ll be fine for now,” Lugow added.
“Okay, let’s get to work,” Adam said.
Eric’s phone rang. “Detective Stiles.”
“Eric, we have a problem,” Charlie said, sounding
panicked and out of breath. “What’s going on?” he said, looking to Lug and
Adam.
“Rebecca got a message from the stalker.”
“When?”
“I little while ago,” he replied.
Eric’s heart began to race.
“We think he’s going after Donna.”
“Why?”
“I don’t now. Something about the message.”
“Did you hear it?”
“No.”
“Let me talk to Rebecca.” Charlie passed the
phone to Rebecca.
“Eric,” her voice sounded terrified and shaken.
Eric got to his feet as Adam followed him. “What
did he say?”
“Uh, it was a joke.”
“A what?”
“A knock, knock, joke.”
“Tell me exactly what he said, Beccs.”
“Knock, knock, who’s there, Donna, Donna who,
Donna turn around ka-boom,” she said into the phone.
He could hear the agony in her voice. “Where are
you?”
“On our way to Donna’s office.”
“Okay, let me talk to Charlie.” He heard her pass
the phone back to Charlie.
“Hey,” Charlie said.
Eric and Adam reached Adam’s car. “Have either of
you tried to call her yet?”
“Yeah, she’s not answering, but Beccs said she
had an early meeting.”
“We’re on our way to Donna’s office as well, but
you need to stall and keep Rebecca away until I tell you it’s okay.”
“That’s going to be pretty hard to do.”
“Listen to me, this could all be a way to lure
Rebecca out into the open,” Eric explained as Adam pulled onto the street.
“Just stall long enough for us to make sure it’s safe.”
“Okay,” Charlie agreed before Eric hung up.
“What’s going on?” Adam asked.
“Rebecca got a message from the stalker.”
“What kind of message?”
“One with a ka-boom.”
Eric, Adam, Lug and the bomb squad arrived in
front of Donna’s office twenty minutes later. Adam coordinated the sweep and
evacuation of the building while Eric went looking for Donna. He stepped off the
elevator and flashed his badge to the receptionist. “Detective Stiles, I need
to speak with Donna Smith, it’s an emergency,” Eric said as the woman looked at
him in confusion.
“I thought you were meeting her in the parking
garage,” the woman replied.
Eric spun, dashing to the elevator as he called
Adam. “She was called down to the parking garage, I’m on my way now,” Eric said
into the phone hitting the P on the elevator. The doors opened moments later,
and he stepped off. He found Donna leaning against her car with a look of
irritation. “Donna!”
She shifted, looking.
He ran toward her.
“Eric, what’s going on?” She moved to meet him.
Eric heard a door slam just to the left.
“Is Beccs alright?”
“She got a call from the stalker. He…”
“Donna!” Rebecca called, Charlie in tow.
Eric realized she was going to pass right in
front of Donna’s car
“Beccs, no!” he screamed, pushing Donna behind
him just before the car exploded.
The blast pushed both he and Donna off their feet
as it shattered and sprayed glass across the parking lot. Eric recovered and
bolted upright to see Rebecca and Charlie flat on the ground...
***
“The Trust Me series takes the reader on
a journey of love, honor, trust and family. A love triangle and the intrigue of
a psychotic stalker serve as the compelling backdrop to fate's whims. It twists
and turns in an unexpected and abrupt velocity like any enthralling suspense
should…” - Romance Reader Cass
“Amy truly takes you on a ride with this fast
paced, mystery/romance thriller that has so many twists and turns that when you
think you figured it out – something else happens. Will Eric ignore family
value with his brother and go after Rebecca, or will the craze psychopath get
to her first? This is only the beginning….” - Written by: Kia Meriwether
On Sale Now!
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