Accidental Eyewitness

In a killer’s sights...a lawman at her side

A Mountie Brotherhood story

After Ellen Biers witnesses a theft turned homicide, the killer targets her. But her childhood crush, Mountie Leo Thrace, vows to protect her. Leo plans to keep his long-ago promise to Ellen’s brother—and his best friend—that he’d never date her. But with a killer determined to leave no loose end untied, keeping Ellen close might be the only way to save her.

MICHELLE KARL is an unabashed bibliophile and a romantic suspense author. She lives in Canada with her husband and an assortment of critters, including a codependent cat and an opinionated parrot. When she’s not reading and consuming copious amounts of coffee, she writes the stories she’d like to find in her “to be read” pile. She also loves animals, world music and eating the last piece of cheesecake.

Also By Michelle Karl

Love Inspired Suspense

Mountie Brotherhood

Wilderness Pursuit

Accidental Eyewitness

Fatal Freeze

Unknown Enemy Outside the Law Silent Night Threat

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Accidental Eyewitness

Michelle Karl

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08561-8

ACCIDENTAL EYEWITNESS

© 2018 Faith Boughan

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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“Someone just blew up a car. A car that I was riding in.”

Leo scooted next to Ellen and twined his fingers with hers, hoping the connection would keep her grounded and help to avoid an emotional spiral. “Maybe forensics will take a look and discover that there was some faulty wiring or a bad connection in the car, or—”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Leo. Stop. I’m not stupid.”

“You’re most definitely not.” He sighed and squeezed her fingers. Distant sirens told him that help was on the way. “But it turns out you’re not safe here, either. Once the police arrive and we talk to them about this, I’m taking you someplace totally isolated. It’ll be only me that knows where you are—”

She frowned as the sirens grew louder. “A good man died, Leo, and I’m not going to walk away when I can help bring his killers to justice.”

That was unexpected. “It’s not safe.”

“You’ve kept me safe so far.”

Dear Reader,

Thank you for spending your reading time with Leo and Ellen! I enjoyed writing the middle Thrace brother’s story, and I hope you enjoyed the cameo appearances of Sam and Kara from Wilderness Pursuit. That’s two brothers matched up and one to go!

While Ellen was able to begin to accept her struggle with PTSD in this story, the reality is that PTSD is a complex and serious issue that affects many individuals, for myriad reasons. It should only be diagnosed by a medical professional, so if you or someone you know is struggling, please seek professional assistance. You may also find comfort in organizations such as the National Center for PTSD (USA: www.ptsd.va.gov) or the PTSD Association of Canada (www.ptsdassociation.com).

Please remember that God loves you and wants the best for you—and so do I! We live in a broken world where terrible things happen, but He has given us free will to make our own choices, for better or worse, because He loves us so much. It can be hard to see the reason for these struggles, and they won’t always make sense in our time. Know that God is there with you, on the good days and the bad, and He will never, ever abandon His children.