The Gathering Dusk
Don't miss the heart-pounding prequel novella to bestselling author Cynthia Eden's new Killer Instinct series!When untried FBI profiler Samantha Dark is face-to-face with a killer, there's no room for fear. Her best weapon is her instincts. Those same dark impulses that allow her to get inside the mind of murderer, to locate victims—or to pull the trigger before she's next. She can't afford to have those instincts clouded by anything… especially her far-too-sexy new partner.Former SEAL Blake Gamble plays everything by the book. Except, of course, when it comes to the increasingly simmering attraction between them. But when a vengeful serial killer targets them both, Samantha once again reaches into the sinister, shadowed part of herself. Even as she begins to fear that the only way to catch this killer is to become one…
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Donât miss the heart-pounding prequel novella to bestselling author Cynthia Edenâs new Killer Instinct series
When untried FBI profiler Samantha Dark is face-to-face with a killer, thereâs no room for fear. Her best weapon is her instincts. Those same dark impulses that allow her to get inside the mind of a murderer, to locate victimsâor to pull the trigger before sheâs next. She canât afford to have those instincts clouded by anything...especially her far-too-sexy new partner.
Former SEAL Blake Gamble plays everything by the book. Except, of course, when it comes to the increasingly simmering attraction between them. But when a vengeful serial killer targets them both, Samantha once again reaches into the sinister, shadowed part of herself. Even as she begins to fear that the only way to catch this killer is to become one...
Look for After the Dark, the first in the Killer Instinct series, from HQN Books!
Do you have a killer instinct? Can you look at a person and figure out that individualâs strengths and weaknesses? And could you use those weaknesses against your prey?
Samantha Dark, the heroine of The Gathering Dusk, has spent years trying to understand the behavior of serial killers. Sheâs worked hard to earn the respect of her fellow FBI agents, and her profiles are always dead-on. In The Gathering Dusk, Samantha sets in motion a series of events that will forever change her life...and the lives of those closest to her. Because while Samantha thinks that she knows killers so very well, sheâs about to discover that sometimes the most dangerous enemy can be the one that is closest to you.
The Gathering Dusk is a prequel story. It will introduce you to Samantha and her FBI partner, Blake Gamble. To read more about the partners, be sure to look for After the Dark, available to readers in March 2017.
Cynthia Eden
Over the years, Iâve met so many wonderful romance readersâat conferences, at signings and, of course, online. I want to thank all of these readers for their support. Thank you for reading my books. Thank you for the kind words. Thank you for telling me that you were able to get lost in my storiesâbecause I think a reader being able to get âlostâ in a book is the best compliment that any writer can receive.
Contents
SAMANTHA DARK DIDNâT let her fear show. In her job, there wasnât supposed to be any room for fear. FBI agents were tough and strong and they got the job doneâno matter the circumstances. They didnât let nausea twist in their stomachs. They didnât let doubt bloom in their minds.
An FBI agent didnât hold a weapon with too tight a grip with a pounding heart.
But I am.
Samantha tried to steady herself. She forced herself to take a deep breath. Her eyes never left the house nestled so perfectly on the little cul-de-sac. The house with the tall, swaying pine trees in the front yard. The house that had all the blinds pulled down to cover every single window.
Itâs just a house. Just a house on a street.
âYou ready, Samantha?â
At the deep, rumbling voice, Samantha gave a nod. Her new partner, Blake Gamble, was right at her side. He didnât seem scared, didnât seem to be filled with reservation and apprehensionâbut then, from what she could tell, Blake didnât have room for those kinds of emotions.
She tore her gaze from the house just long enough to send an assessing glance his way. Blake was tall, about six foot twoâmaybe three inchesâand muscled. His wide shoulders told her that he might have played football back in the day, and his hard strength assured Samantha that her new partner worked out far more than the FBI required.
He was handsome, in a rough, rugged way. Square jaw, high cheeks, sensually curved lips...and the greenest eyes that sheâd ever seen. Those green eyes were a sharp contrast to his dark, almost perfectly arranged black hair.
Tall, dark and dangerous. Only Blake wasnât the bad guy...he was the good guy. The real true-blue sort. The kind of a guy that a person could count on... The kind of partner you need at your side when youâre worried the situation is about to go straight to hell.
She swallowed down her fear and lifted her chin. âIâm ready.â They had the all clear to go into that little house, and waiting longerâwell, that would just give the man inside a chance to either attack or flee.
He wonât get away from me.
George Farris lived in that quiet house on the cul-de-sac. George Farris...a twenty-seven-year-old software designer. A man who hadnât shown up for work in the past two days and who had withdrawn from his friends and his family after exhibiting increasingly paranoid behavior. A man who...
Fits my profile to a T.
âYou still think he has the victim in there?â Blake asked her.
âMissy Johnson has been missing for two days.â Her voice was barely a whisper. âIf heâs our guy...he has always kept the victims alive for seventy-two hours.â That was the reason they were moving in on the house. They couldnât afford to waste time. This was it.
