Expert Witness

DANGEROUS TESTIMONY

Minutes after testifying in a murder trial, sketch artist Sydney Berry is almost killed in a drive-by shooting. United States Marshal Max Preston saves her life then whisks her away to safety. She’s his first protected witness, and he’ll do everything in his power to keep her safe. But Sydney doesn’t want to hide from danger. She is determined to finish her testimony and put a killer away. With potential suspects coming from all corners, Sydney will have to trust Max with her deepest secrets—and her life.

Max gripped her waist and pulled her up off the floor. “We’ve got to move.”

Trying to catch her breath, she took a step and a pain shot through her leg. But now was not the time to worry about that. They were literally under attack.

The smoke was clearing a little so that she could see. But that also meant they could be seen by whoever had attacked them.

A gunshot rang out, and Max pushed her back down to the ground.

“Where did that come from?” she asked.

“I’m not sure, but it sounded like it was from outside. We’re going to move farther inside.”

Her heart raced as he guided her away from the windows and toward the center of the house. She didn’t want to die. She’d been through so much in her life. She wasn’t going to give up now. She could handle this, too.

RACHEL DYLAN writes inspirational romantic suspense. Although a Georgia girl at heart, she traded in the sunny South for the snowy Midwest. She lives in Michigan with her husband and five furkids—two dogs and three cats. She’s an animal lover and enjoys adding furry friends to her stories. You can find Rachel at racheldylan.com.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

—Psalms 27:1

To my mom—the strongest woman I’ve ever known. I love you.

Many thanks to my fabulous agent, Sarah Younger, for being my fierce advocate, and my amazing editor Emily Rodmell for believing in my work.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

EPILOGUE

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

ONE

“All rise.” The bailiff’s deep voice echoed through the crowded Atlanta courtroom.

Sydney Berry took a deep breath and stepped down from the witness stand. Unfortunately, her expert testimony as a forensic artist in the murder trial of businessman Kevin Diaz wasn’t over. She’d have to come back tomorrow and testify about her sessions with the eyewitness and the drawing she’d created of the suspect. The goal—to get the sketch of the suspect introduced into evidence. It would bolster the eyewitness testimony to have the contemporaneous drawing in front of the jury.

If the defense attorney was able to tear apart her testimony, the prosecution’s case would be severely weakened. And a guilty man likely would walk free. She refused to let that happen.

She walked out of the courtroom doors, and then the other bailiff standing outside nodded to her, indicating she was on her own. Dear God, please give me the strength to get through this. Let my testimony help the jury so that justice may be done for the murder of an innocent woman.

“Ms. Berry!” A male voice rang out down the courthouse hallway.

The last thing she wanted to do right now was deal with the press. She’d refused every media inquiry thus far, and she would do the same again today. Because of Kevin Diaz’s position in the community, the local Atlanta media were having a field day covering the trial.

“No comment.” She turned around and came face to face with a tall man in a dark suit and a navy checkered tie. No, he didn’t look like the press. He had to be a Fed. His dark brown hair was cut short, and his eyes were a striking deep green.

“I’m not a reporter,” he said. “Please let me escort you to your vehicle, and I’ll explain.”

She took a step, and he followed her.

She turned to him. “Who are you?”

He looked her in the eyes. “I’m US Marshal Max Preston.”

Close. She had figured him for FBI. Having dealt with the FBI quite a bit in her line of work, she knew its style, and he fit it perfectly down to the gun she caught a glimpse of on his right hip. Though she wasn’t accustomed to consulting for the US Marshals, they were obviously built from the same mold.

“As you can tell, I’m a bit preoccupied right now with this trial.” She reached into her pocket for her business card. “Here’s my card. Contact me and we can set up a consultation. But it will probably be a few weeks before I can fit it into my schedule.” When he refused the card, she pocketed it and pushed open the courthouse door. The summer heat of Atlanta hit her, and she already felt her hair starting to frizz.

“I know this is bad timing, but I need five minutes,” he said, following her outside.

The persistent marshal wasn’t taking no for an answer. They walked down the courthouse steps on to the sidewalk.