âAccording to this cover story, Iâm supposed to be falling in love with you. Right?â
âThatâs the story.â
âThat might be more believable, if it was more true.â He rose from the bed and took one step to stand in front of her. âBoth times when we kissed, it was a lie.â
Her breath caught in her throat. She knew what was coming next.
He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. âKiss me now, as yourself.â
âThat might not be wise.â Even as she spoke, she knew resistance was futile. With every fiber of her being, she wanted to kiss him.
âKiss me, Abigail Nelson.â
She melted into his arms. When their lips met, it was different than their other kisses. Instead of fierce and demanding, he was oh-so-gentle.
Her arm encircled his torso. Their bodies skimmed against each other. Sensation built gradually, slowly. Oh yes, this kiss was very different.
To Linda Hull and Jan Gurney,
the powers that be. And, as always, to Rick.
For Cassie Miles, the best part about writing a story set in Eagle County near the Vail ski area is the ready-made excuse to head into the mountains for research. Though the winter snows are great for skiing, her favorite season is fall when the aspens turn gold.
The rest of the time, Cassie lives in Denver where she takes urban hikes around Cheesman Park, reads a ton and critiques often. Her current plans include a Vespa and a road trip, despite eye-rolling objections from her adult children.
Mac GrangerâThe cynical Denver cop, wounded in the line of duty, becomes part of a bigger sting operation.
Abby NelsonâThe FBI Special Agent goes undercover as sex bomb Vanessa Nye to entrap a dirty cop.
Sheila HartmanâMacâs partner is always in the wrong place and the wrong time.
Hal PerkinsâMacâs lieutenant at the Denver PD.
Vince ElliotâThe vice cop has been on the trail of a drug lord for months.
Nicholas DirkâThe high-powered mogul in Vail is involved in shady dealings.
Leo FisherâAbbyâs former fiancé, the FBI undercover agent obsesses about his suspects.
Julia LastâFBI Special Agent in charge of safe house operations.
Roger FlanneryâThe rookie FBI agent always gets the worst assignments.
Paul HemmingsâEagle County Deputy Sheriff and Macâs boyhood friend.
Jess IslerâMember of the Vail Ski Patrol and Macâs buddy.
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
The gun weighed heavy in his hand. The last time Detective Mac Granger unholstered his piece was three months ago at the shooting range when he drilled the heart of the paper target nine out of ten shots.
It was a Thursday night in September. Mac and his partner, Detective Sheila Hartman, had been on their way to a homicide investigation in north Denver when a squawk came over the radio in their unmarked car: âOfficer in need of assistance.â
Headed north on Park Street, they had just passed the homeless mission with the red neon Jesus Saves sign. They were close to the location given and arrived first on the sceneâa dark, deserted city street lined with two-and three-story buildings. The crumbling bricks were stained by years of greasy soot from the nearby railyards.
Three other cars were carelessly parked near a run-down warehouse. The door to the loading dock gaped open. Inside the warehouse, it was pitch-dark.
As Mac emerged from the car, gun in hand, the night breeze whipped around him. A crumpled sheet of newspaper rolled down the street like a tumble-weed. From ten blocks away, he heard a resounding cheer from the baseball fans at Coors Field where the Rockies were playing a night game. Home run.
From inside the warehouse, gunfire exploded. Several shots in rapid succession. A semiautomatic weapon. This sounded like something bigger than he and his partner could handle. âStay back,â he ordered Sheila. âOther patrol cars will be here in a minute.â
She shot him a glare. Sheila was inexperienced and willful. She could be a real pain in the ass.
âPolice,â she yelled. âThrow down your weapons and come out with your hands up.â
âCome and get us,â was the response.
âUs,â Mac said pointedly. âThereâs more than one.â
Ignoring him, Sheila yelled again. âYouâre surrounded. Give up now.â
He cursed under his breath. If the bad guys came onto the street, they could see at a glance that the only cops on the scene were the two of them. Frankly, he and Sheila werenât real impressive when it came to firepower.
âStay here,â he said to her.
âMaybe I could circle around andââ
âStay.â
The woman was impossible. They wouldnât even have been in this area if theyâd gone directly to their crime scene in north Denver instead of stopping once because Sheila had to pee, then again because she wanted a latte.
Mac ran toward the loading dock and flattened himself against the brick wall. If anybody came out, theyâd be caught between him and his partner.