HE EXPECTED SMALL-TOWN POLICE WORK TO BE DULLâ¦AND THEN SHE CAME BACK TO TOWN
Columbella House, a crumbling Victorian mansion on the coast, is packed with secrets and danger. Now it all belongs to Mia St. Regis. For police chief Dylan Reese, the return of the beautiful heiress rekindles an old attraction, one he thought ended long ago. Before he can focus on their past, though, Miaâs reappearance rouses a killer, someone whoâs made her the ultimateâand most prizedâtarget. Dylan knows keeping Mia safe is part of the job. Yet the image of an elusive enemy getting anywhere near her challenges his sworn vow to uphold the lawâand stirs something all too personal inside by-the-book Dylan.â¦
Dylan cocked his head. âListen.â
Amid the waves crashing on the rocks came the tinny sound of a ringing phone. He took two steps closer to the low metal barrier around the edge of the overlook. âDial again.â
With a shaky finger Mia punched the button to redial. The phone rang again, the ocean breeze snatching the sound so that it seemed to surround her.
Dylan dropped to his knees, skimming the light from his flashlight along the ledge of rock. âItâs there, just below the ledge.â
He flattened to his belly and army-crawled toward the edge.
The knots that had been forming in Miaâs stomach the minute she heard the disembodied phone ringing cinched tighter. âBe careful.â
Dylan scooted forward another few inches and then swore.
Clutching her sweater around her trembling body, Mia shuffled to the edge of the precipice. âWhat is it, Dylan?â
Her gaze followed the beam of his light as it tripped down the vicious rocks. White foam rushed in and swirled around the rocks and something elseâ¦a body.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carol Ericson lives with her husband and two sons in Southern California, home of state-of-the-art cosmetic surgery, wild freeway chases, palm trees bending in the Santa Ana winds and a million amazing stories. These stories, along with hordes of virile men and feisty women, clamor for release from Carolâs head. It makes for some interesting headaches until she sets them free to fulfill their destinies and her readersâ fantasies. To find out more about Carol, her books and her strange headaches, please visit her website, www.carolericson.com, âwhere romance flirts with danger.â
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Dylan ReeseâCoral Coveâs new police chief, he swore heâd never walk in his fatherâs shoes. But a botched undercover assignment has driven him back to his hometown and into the orbit of the one woman he could never forgetâ¦who now needs his protection more than ever.
Mia St. RegisâThe owner of Columbella House, she played a practical joke on her twin sister, Marissa, that sheâs regretted ever since. Now, with the help of Dylan Reese, the man whoâd always had her back, she wants to set things right with both her sister and Columbella House. But someone is determined to see her fail at both.
Marissa St. RegisâMiaâs twin sister, she took off for parts unknown when Mia tricked her out of Columbella House. Is she still holding a grudge or is her continued absence a sign of something more sinister?
Peter CasellasâMiaâs soon-to-be ex-husband was fine with the terms of their sham marriage, but now heâs in financial trouble and he wants Mia to payâ¦and pay big.
Kayla RutherfordâThe result of Marissa St. Regisâs secret teen pregnancy, Kayla wants whatâs rightfully hers, even if she has to take it.
Tyler DavisâThe mayor of Coral Cove always wants whatâs best for his small town, and heâll do anything to protect its image.
Linda DavisâThe mayorâs wife has a vested interest in Miaâs decision about Columbella House, but is her interest purely civic-minded or does it hint at some deeper secret?
Charlie VegaâThis local contractor with money problems hits the jackpot when he discovers heâs the father of a St. Regis, and he wants his slice of the action.
Tina VegaâCharlieâs wife is not happy to discover her husband has an illegitimate daughter with Marissa St. Regis. Will she take out her anger on her husband or his daughter?
For LAPD Detective Pete Wilson, who always gets the bad guys.
Chapter One
Your sister is dead. The words on the screen blurred together, and Mia St. Regis slammed down the cover of the laptop to dismiss them. Why should she take the word of a ditzy psychic like Kylie Grant?
Mia stretched her arms over her head, and then slumped against the soft cushions on the love seat in the corner of the coffeehouse. Of course, here she sat in Coral Cove, but it hadnât been Kylieâs email that had prompted her return.
She had to do something with the old ancestral home, Columbella House, before it fell into the sea. Maybe she should just let it.