USA Today best-selling author Kennedy Layne follows up her latest romantic suspense novel with a romantic thriller that will have you leaving the lights on at bedtime....

Former marine Royce Haverton had needed a break from the bloodshed he'd witnessed time and again during his last combat tour. He'd fulfilled his contract to the corps, and it was now time to move on. Little did he know the job he'd just accepted would lead him down the same violent path as before.

Cailyn Geneva had spent the last three months recovering from a brutal hit-and-run her family swore was intentional. Another vicious attempt on her life proves their suspicions to be true, and her brother takes matters into his own hands by hiring a security firm to look after her. She agrees to do whatever it takes to stay alive...even if that means facing her past mistakes.

Royce doesn't like surprises, so walking into the office to find an old family friend desperate for a favor certainly doesn't make his morning. Neither does discovering a cold-blooded murderer is after the one woman who had once meant everything to him. Will they be given the time to explore the still smoldering desire that lies beneath the surface before a ruthless killer tries to finish what he started?

Series description: Safeguard Security & Investigations (SSI) is owned and operated by Townes Calvert, a retired marine gunnery sergeant who returned home to the States a bit more damaged than he'd care to admit. Not that anyone could tell outside of a very select group of former active duty buddies. It took Townes quite a while to acclimate to civilian life, and he kept himself busy in the interim working in treacherous situations with even more dangerous friends. The final result is a close-knit unit of highly trained former military men who have the experience to protect the innocent, investigate crimes on the gritty edge, and aid local law enforcement when justice has taken a back seat to political correctness. Follow along as Kennedy Layne conveys each of their gripping stories as they work together on investigations that lead them down perilous paths of passion, intrigue, and suspense....