Twilight Warrior
The past could never truly be left behind, and Detective Travis Blacksheep had learned that lesson well. His past had brought him back to the Navajo Nation and kept him devoted to his ancestral traditions. But now a faded memory stood on his doorstep asking for help - the woman he had never been able to forget. Laura Perry was back in Three Rivers to catch a serial killer, and she was willing to use herself as bait.Without Travis protecting her, she'd be an easy target. But keeping Laura alive was easier than keeping his hands off her. And with a relentless predator on their trail, distractions weren't something either of them could afford.
Читать Twilight Warrior онлайн беплатно
âYou still donât like backing down, particularly if you think youâre right.â
âIn this case, I am right. Thereâs a serial killer in this area.â
He said nothing, mulling everything over, trying to decide exactly whatâif anythingâhe should do.
âRemember what you taught me about restoring balance and harmony,â Laura said.
He looked at her, surprised. âYou remember?â
âI remember a lot more than you realize.â She traced his lips with her fingertips and gazed into his eyes.
He knew that she was recalling the first time heâd kissed her. Neither of them had been prepared for the rush of pleasure or the heat that had followed.
âWe knew each other as kids, thatâs true, but what youâre askingâ¦â
âIs dangerous and maybe a little crazy, but itâs part of what you and I do,â she said, finishing his thought. âWe catch the bad guys.â
Twilight Warrior
Aimée Thurlo
To Trudy Stevenson,
who shares our love for the four-footed ones.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aimée Thurlo is a nationally known bestselling author. Sheâs the winner of a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews, a New Mexico Book Award in contemporary fiction and a Willa Cather Award in the same category. Sheâs published in twenty countries worldwide.
She also cowrites the bestselling Ella Clah mainstream mystery series praised in the New York Times Book Review.
Aimée was born in Havana, Cuba, and lives with her husband of thirty-nine years in Corrales, New Mexico. Her husband, David, was raised on the Navajo Indian Reservation.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Detective Travis BlacksheepâHis high school pal has blossomed into a beautiful young woman, but sheâs come back into his life with baggage from the past and a killer on her trail.
Laura PerryâA P.I. now, she knows she needs help to catch a serial killer. She and Travis had depended on each other as kids, but unless they learn to work together again, lives will be lost.
Barbara MalloyâShe has one last shot at grabbing a major TV network job. All sheâs ever needed is the story of a lifetime, and nothingâs going to stop herâno matter what it takes or whom she puts in danger.
Lester CrosleyâHe services nearly every computer system in town, including the police network. Is his clumsy charm just an act meant to conceal something much more sinister, or is he for real?
Harry RobertsâThe martial arts instructor has a reputation for being aggressive, but he really slipped up when he got rough with the sister of a police sergeant.
Chief WrightâHeâs new at the top job, and likes doing things his way, but Laura has her own playbook.
Nick BlacksheepâHe has a new family of his own, but if his younger brother needs him, heâll be there.
Daniel RiceâThe IRS is after him and his wife, Marilyn, for tax evasion, and thatâs just the tip of the iceberg. What other dark secrets does the couple share that might turn the city upside down?
Contents
Prologue
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
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Prologue
Laura Perry loved her life. The uncertainty and challenges of her career suited her perfectly. And leaving the FBI to become a private investigator for the largest and most prestigious firm in New Mexico allowed her to work alone and unencumbered. Just the way she liked.
Today, however, she was off the clock and on the way to visit with her childhood best friend, Nancy. Theyâd been as close as sisters during junior high, but had drifted apart in high school after Nancy had become the softball teamâs leading pitcher. As playing and practicing began taking most of Nancyâs time, Laura had watched their friendship end, not with a bang but with a whimper.
Yet life, via the internet, had brought them together again. As theyâd exchanged emails, the closeness theyâd once shared had reappeared as quickly as a patch of clover on a warm spring morning. Their friendship had blossomed as a result.
Although they hadnât seen each other in years, Laura had been looking forward to seeing Nancy again for weeks. Tonight, sheâd spend the night at Nancyâs home outside Flagstaff, Arizona. Theyâd talk about old times and the new man in her friendâs life. Nancy had sounded head over heels in love in her emails.
Laura sighed. In that one way, she envied her friend. Love sure wasnât in the cards for her.
Laura turned up a dirt road covered with dusty red gravel and pulled up to the chalet-style home. She removed her handgun from the glove compartment and quickly stuck it inside her jacket pocket. Even out here in this rural area she didnât want to risk leaving it in the car.
âHey, Nan! Anyone home?â Laura called out as she walked up the flagstone path leading to the half-open front door.
As Laura stepped across the threshold into the narrow foyer, the door suddenly swung toward her, slamming into her left shoulder. Thrown hard against the foyer wall, she hit her head and fell to her knees, dazed.
